Everything Has Changed
by Rainedonmyparade
Summary: April needs a date for her parents wedding anniversary and somehow she manages to talk Jackson into going with her. What happens when two best friends are forced to pretend they're in love for an entire week? Rated M for a reason. Please read and review.
1. Best Friends

**Hello fellow Japril shippers! So we still have months and months of waiting for season 10 to start so thought I'd post something to help make the wait a little easier...this is pretty much just gonna be a fluffy little story (thinking about 8 chapters long) set sometime during season 8 after Jackson and Lexie break up. **

**I want to warn you that it's rated M for a reason...this fic is gonna be filled with lots of juicy lemons so please be warned...if you don't like sex scenes then you might wanna skim over those parts, but honestly who doesn't love a little Jackson/April smut?**

**This story is named after the Taylor Swift/Ed Sheeran song, if you haven't heard it then you should...it's amazing!**

**Characters are not mine, they belong to the lovely Shonda...I'm just having a little fun with them :)**

Let me know what you think!

* * *

_All I knew this morning when I woke  
Is I know something now, know something now I didn't before  
And all I've seen since eighteen hours ago  
Is green eyes and freckles in your smile  
In the back of my mind making me feel like..._

* * *

April Kepner was the last to arrive at Joe's. It had been a long and tiring day at the hospital so her and the others had decided to meet for drinks after they'd finished their late shifts. April removed her coat as she walked into the dimly lit bar and quickly made her way over to where Alex, Meredith, Cristina and Jackson were seated. She sighed heavily as she sat down next to Meredith, ordering herself a gin and tonic.

"I've made a huge mistake," April groaned, just as Joe came over with her drink. "I'm such an idiot."

"What did you do this time?" Alex asked, taking a swig from his beer.

April eagerly picked up her glass and took a long drink, the alcohol going so easily down her throat. "I told my parents I'd go to their wedding anniversary in Ohio next month," she explained, sitting her glass back down on the bar and looking down at her hands.

"What's so bad about that?" Jackson shrugged.

April looked up, her face more pale than usual. "Nothing," she murmured, chewing nervously on her bottom lip.

"Why do you look like you're about to vomit?" Cristina questioned, studying April intently.

April sighed and quickly downed what was left in her glass, gesturing for Joe to bring her another. "It's nothing," she said, her voice barely a whisper. "It's just...It's..." She inhaled a deep breath and looked over at her friends. "I told them I was bringing a date."

"A date?"

"Yeah...I-I might have told them I was seeing someone and that I was going to bring my new boyfriend to their anniversary." She hung her head in shame.

"But...you don't have a boyfriend?" Jackson's brow furrowed in confusion.

Cristina and Meredith both snickered between themselves, finding the idea of April having a boyfriend rather amusing.

"I know I don't have a boyfriend!" April snapped. "But I couldn't tell them that."

"Just when I thought you couldn't get any weirder," Alex murmured, rolling his eyes.

"I know it was stupid!" April retorted, her cheeks turning a dark shade of red. "But it just slipped out and they sounded so happy to hear that I was finally bringing someone home to meet them. Did you know that I've never introduced a boyfriend to them before? They think I'm gay!" April shook her head and looked down at her hands again, she could feel herself getting worked up. "I know I shouldn't have lied to them but they keep asking if I've met someone and I know that it worries them every time I tell them I'm still single. They think I'm going to be alone forever!"

"Well what are they going to say when they find out you lied to them?" Meredith asked.

April sighed and sat back on the stool. Joe came over with her new drink, pushing it in front of her and taking her used glass away. "I can't tell them the truth," April replied. "I can't! You should have heard how happy they sounded when I told them I'd met somebody."

"Well you better hurry up and find yourself a boyfriend then," Cristina replied, voice smug.

"I-I have a plan." April looked over at her colleagues. "I'll just tell them I'm sick and I wont be able to go."

"And miss your parents anniversary?"

"They'll have another anniversary next year."

"And maybe next year you can tell them that you're bringing your husband and three kids along?" Alex teased.

"Shut up!" April elbowed him in the ribs. "This isn't funny!"

"You can't miss your parents anniversary, April," Meredith pointed out. "Just tell them that you broke up with this guy, they wont know any different."

"I can't do that," she whispered, cradling her face in both her hands. "It would disappoint them so much."

"Who did you say your boyfriend was anyway?" Cristina asked, ordering herself another beer.

April sighed and dropped her hands from her face. "I haven't told them anything yet. I told them they had to wait until they met him in a few weeks."

"This is so screwed up," Alex mumbled. "Can't you see how messed up this is? Who lies to their parents about having a boyfriend?" He laughed and shook his head in amusement. "You're going to die a virgin."

"Leave her alone, Karev," Jackson scolded, giving Alex a hard look.

"I'll figure something out," April mumbled, playing with the straw in her glass. April really didn't want to miss her parents 40th wedding anniversary, but she didn't really have any other options. She couldn't turn up there without a date, her family would hate her if they found out she'd lied to them.

How did she always manage to get herself into these horrible situations?

-o0o-

Three weeks later and April still hadn't decided what she was going to do about her parents anniversary. She was sitting on her own at home, watching Breakfast At Tiffany's and cradling a bottle of beer in her hands. She had less than a week to either come up with an excuse as to why she wasn't going to go to her parents party, or try and find a boyfriend to go with her. April sighed at the thought and quickly had another drink from her beer, feeling more than a little sorry for herself.

The front door opened and April looked up to see Jackson walk in. She watched as he turned to lock the door behind him and removed his jacket.

"Hey," he greeted, giving April a friendly smile. "You okay?"

April nodded and looked down at the bottle of beer in her hands. "I'm fine."

Jackson disappeared into the kitchen and returned a moment later with a beer and some cold pizza from the night before. He plopped down on the lounge next to April and lifted the lid off the pizza box, offering April a slice.

"Thanks." She smiled and grabbed a piece.

Jackson took a slice for himself and leaned forward to sit the rest of the pizza on the coffee table in front of them. He turned his attention to the movie, taking a few swigs from his beer. "What are we watching?"

"Breakfast At Tiffany's," she replied, having a bite of her pizza.

They fell into a comfortable silence while they watched the movie. April pretended to watch the movie while silently having a debate with herself over whether or not she should tell her parents the truth. Deep down, April knew that she didn't really have a choice. There was no way she would be able to find a date for her parents anniversary in less than a week. So, unless she wanted to miss their important day, she was going to have to go on her own.

Her parents were going to be so disappointed.

"Have you decided what you're going to do about your parents party?" Jackson asked, as though he could read Aprils thoughts.

April shrugged and took a sip from her beer. "Not yet," she replied.

"You know...I get why you lied to them."

"You do?"

He nodded and gave her a small smile. "Yeah, I know what it's like to want to try and impress your parents. Sometimes it's just easier to lie to them if it means making them happy. I get it."

She turned to look at him, thankful that someone finally understood. "I just wanted to make them proud of me. They were so excited when I told them I had a boyfriend. They've probably told everyone back home by now." She looked away, playing with the label on her beer. "My whole family's going to judge me when I turn up without a date. I'm going to have to tell them the truth."

"Not necessarily," he stated, tossing his pizza crust back into the box.

"I have to," she murmured, sighing in frustration. "I don't have any other options. They're going to find out that I'm single sooner or later."

"Find someone to go with you," he suggested.

She scoffed and rolled her eyes. "Yeah right. I doubt I can find a boyfriend in six days."

He was thoughtful for a moment. "Maybe you don't need to find a boyfriend," he pointed out. "Maybe you just need to find somebody who'll _pretend_ to be your boyfriend?"

She looked over at him, furrowing her brow in question. "A pretend date?"

He shrugged and took a bite. "It could work."

She thought about it for a moment, tossing the idea around in her mind. "Do you really think so?"

He smiled and shrugged in response, bringing his beer to his lips for another drink.

"Will you go with me?" she asked, turning to face him.

Her question caused him to almost choke on his drink. "W-what?" Jackson looked at her, his eyes wide. "I-I...that wasn't what I meant," he added, quickly. "I can't. Sloan wont let me have time off and I'm sure you could find a better pretend date to go with you."

"I'll talk to Sloan," she quickly told him. "Please, Jackson! It would mean the world to me if you did this."

He shook his head. "I can't," he replied, leaning forward on the lounge. "I really, _really_ don't think I'm the right person to go."

"You're the perfect person to go!" she retorted. "My parents would love you! And we're already best friends so I don't think it would be too hard for us to pretend we're dating."

He was thoughtful for a moment. "I-" He turned to look at her, trying to think of another excuse to get out of doing this. But then he saw the pleading look in her eyes and he could feel himself beginning to cave. He could see how much this meant to her, how important this whole stupid idea was.

"Please!" she begged, taking his hand in hers.

He sighed and shook his head in defeat. "Fine. I'll go."

"Thank you!" She squealed in excitement and threw her arms around him, hugging him tightly. "Thank you so much, Jackson! I owe you big time for this!"

He smiled and returned her hug, finding it almost impossible to believe what he'd just agreed to.

-o0o-

The next day Jackson was seated in the hospital cafeteria. He sat on his own, signing some patient charts while he picked at his lunch. He was halfway though the pile of paperwork when Karev took a seat beside him, slamming his tray down on the table.

"Is it true?" he asked, as soon as he'd sat down.

Jackson sighed and took a bite out of his sandwich. "Is what true?"

"Are you and Kepner really dating?"

Wow news really did travel fast around here.

Jackson stopped what he was doing and turned to look at his douchebag friend seated beside him. "No," he replied, giving Karev a dirty look. "We're not dating," he clarified. "I agreed to go with April to her parents anniversary. But it's not like that."

"You're kidding!" Karev scoffed at his words.

Jackson averted his gaze and cleared his throat uncomfortably. He looked away from Karev, focusing his attention back on the charts. "I'm not kidding."

"So Kepner's taking you to Ohio to meet her parents? For real?" He chuckled and grabbed the pudding off his tray, pulling the lid off and popping a spoonful in his mouth.

"Yep."

"And you're just gonna like...pretend she's your girlfriend, for an entire week?" Karev shook his head in astonishment, looking at Jackson like he'd grown a second head. "Dude, what's wrong with you?"

Jackson sighed and suppressed the urge to roll his eyes. "She needed someone to go with her," he explained. "She didn't want to disappoint her parents by going without a date. It's only a few days."

Karev cocked an eyebrow and smirked. "I can't believe you're gonna pretend the Virgin Mary's your girlfriend. That's the funniest thing I've ever heard."

"Shut up, Karev." Jackson pushed his chair out and got to his feet, grabbing the pile of patient charts off the table. He had post-ops to check on and Jackson really didn't feel like listening to Karev tease him right now. He was already having second thoughts about going to Ohio, and hearing Karev give him shit about it was only making him feel worse.

That night April came home from work and found Jackson seated in the kitchen, a bottle of beer in front of him. She smiled at her friend before removing her coat and going over to find something to eat.

"I booked our plane tickets today," she told him, grabbing some leftover pasta out of the fridge and spooning some onto a plate. "We leave early Monday morning."

He nodded and took a few large gulps from his drink. "Are you sure about this?" he asked her, after a brief pause.

She spun around to look at him. "Sure about what?"

Jackson looked up, meeting her gaze. "Don't you think this is a bad idea?" he questioned. "Maybe you could find someone else to go with you?"

"Oh." April turned her back to him, putting her plate of food in the microwave. "You don't want to go with me any more?" she murmured, her voice filled with disappointment.

Jackson looked down at the bottle in his hand. "I just don't know if I'm the _right_ person to go with you," he told her, honestly. "April, I've never even met a girl's parents before. I don't know how to do this. You're family might not even like me."

She quickly spun around to look at him. "Is that what this is about? My parents?" April smiled and shook her head. "You don't have to worry about them, Jackson, they're going to like you. My whole family will love you." She lent back against the kitchen bench, folding her arms over in front of her chest. "I know this whole situation seems really weird, and I know this is _a lot_ to ask of you, but I wouldn't ask you if it wasn't really important. I just...I want to make my family happy. I want them to stop worrying about me. I need your help, Jackson. _Please_!"

He looked up at her, her eyes begging for him not to change his mind. He swallowed the lump in his throat and picked up his beer, draining what was left in the bottle. "Fine."

April grinned, just as the microwave beeped, letting her know the food was ready. She grabbed a glass of water and her dinner, going over to take a seat across from Jackson at the table. "So, I guess you better tell me all about your family," he murmured, watching as April loaded her fork with pasta and popped it into her mouth. "I'm gonna wanna learn all I can about them before we get to Ohio."

* * *

**I'd love to know what you thought of this chapter...it's really just setting us up for the rest of the story...next chapter is finished and ready to be posted and I'm about two thirds the way through with chapter 3...let me know if you would like to read more! **

**Next chapter: They're going to Ohio! :)**


	2. Meet The Parents

**AN: Thank you guys so much for all your amazing reviews! You seriously don't know how happy they made me! I'm so glad you're all on board with the idea of this story and I hope you continue to read and enjoy (and review lol) Anyways it's pretty late here in Australia and I wanted to get this chapter out before I went to sleep...I hope it's as good as you're all hoping it to be..I feel like I have some high expectations to live up to! I want you all to know that I'm really sorry in advance if this chapter is a piece of crap and you hate it lol...  
**

**Read and enjoy!**

* * *

Chapter 2: Meet the parents

* * *

April and Jackson sat in the middle of the crowded airport, waiting to board their plane to Columbus. April tapped her foot nervously on the tiled floor, trying her hardest not to hyperventilate. Jackson sat calmly beside her while he checked his emails on his phone. April wondered how he could remain so calm and rational given their circumstances. She couldn't stop herself from freaking out a little at the idea of taking Jackson back home and introducing him to her parents. What if they didn't like him? What if they found out that he wasn't really her boyfriend? What if-

Jackson interrupted her thoughts, placing a friendly hand on her arm. "You okay?" he asked, flashing her a smile. "You look a little pale."

April forced herself to smile, but it didn't touch her eyes. "Is this a bad idea?" she asked, biting down on her lip and moving uncomfortably in the chair. "What if we screw this up and they don't believe you're my boyfriend?" she asked him, her voice hitched with worry. "What if they find out we're lying to them?" Her heart raced at the idea of disappointing her family. She didn't want to mess this up.

"Relax," he murmured, voice soothing. "It's going to be fine. They wont find out." He gave her another smile before turning his attention back to his phone.

She sighed and inhaled a deep breath, trying to calm herself down. "How are we supposed to do this, Jackson?" she questioned, swallowing the dry lump in her throat. "This isn't going to work!"

He looked at her, slipping his phone back into the pocket of his jeans. "Why don't I go find you a drink of water?" he offered, getting to his feet. "You look like you're going to pass out."

April nodded and watched as Jackson went over to buy her an overpriced bottle of water from one of the airport vending machines. He returned a moment later, unscrewing the cap and handing it to her. "Drink, it'll make you feel better," he instructed.

She mumbled a thanks and quickly took the water, having a few large gulps from the bottle. April hadn't realized how dry her throat was until the water hit her mouth. She drank almost half of the bottle before screwing the lid back on, taking a deep, calming breath.

"Feel better?" he asked, sitting back down next to her.

"I'm sorry," she murmured. "I didn't mean to freak out like that."

"It's only a week," he reminded her. "In seven days we'll be coming back to Seattle and it'll be over. We can get through the week without your family finding out the truth. I promise you, April, your parents are going to believe I'm your boyfriend. We wont give them a reason to suspect anything else."

She lifted her eyes to meet his gaze, wondering to herself how she'd gotten lucky enough to have such an amazing friend like Jackson. "Thank you," she replied, his words instantly making her feel a better.

* * *

The flight from Seattle to Columbus arrived right on time. After making their way through the busy airport terminal, Jackson and April collected their bags and went outside to find the rental car her parents had organized for them to use while they were in Ohio. The car was waiting for them just outside the front entrance of the airport. They were given the keys and Jackson loaded their bags into the trunk while April quickly phoned her parents to let them know they'd arrived in Columbus.

"I'll drive," Jackson said, making his way around to get in the drivers seat.

"But you don't know how to get to Moline," she objected. "It'll be easier if I drive."

"You can be my navigator," he told her, sliding in behind the wheel before she had a chance to object. April huffed and rolled her eyes before opening the passenger side door and getting in.

The Kepner farm was a two hour drive from Columbus airport. They spent most of the drive in a comfortable silence, neither of them feeling the need to make conversation. April switched the radio on and sat back in the seat, enjoying the familiar scenery of Ohio as it passed by her window. She hadn't realized how much she'd missed being back home and she was beginning to get more than a little excited at the thought of seeing her family again.

"What day is your parents anniversary?" Jackson asked, breaking the silence.

"Saturday," she replied. "They've got an entire week of things planned for us while we're here though."

"When do your sisters arrive?"

"I think Libby and her family arrive tomorrow morning and Kimmie and Alice in the afternoon."

He nodded and they fell back into a comfortable silence. April closed her eyes for a little while, resting her head against the window beside her. They didn't talk again until they were driving through Moline and heading towards the Kepner farm.

"Are you sure you still want to do this?" April asked, just as they pulled into her parents driveway. "It's not too late to back out."

Jackson didn't respond as he pulled up outside a large, two story farm house. He turned the car off and took a moment to take in the huge house and the picturesque farm that surrounded it. The farm was beautiful, it was exactly the way April had described it. The house was huge and it looked to be at least a century old. It had been well kept over the years and it suited the farm perfectly. There was a big red barn and a pasture full of cows. A dog sat on the back porch, barking at the car that had just pulled up and disturbed its afternoon sleep.

"It's good to be home," April murmured, a smile on her face as she removed her seat belt.

Jackson looked over at April, glad to see how happy she was to be here. "Are you ready?" he asked her.

She inhaled a deep breath and nodded. "Lets do this."

April's parents came rushing out of the house just as April and Jackson exited their car. April didn't hesitate before running over to her parents, throwing her arms around her mom and dad in a tight hug. Jackson looked away and went to make himself busy while April reunited with her parents, he didn't want to impose on such a personal moment. Opening the trunk, he began to unload their bags from the back of the car.

"So, this must be the mystery boyfriend you've told us nothing about?" April's mother asked, after she'd finished hugging her daughter.

April cleared her throat and nodded. "Mom and dad, I would like you to meet my...boyfriend, Jackson Avery," she introduced them, making her way over to stand at Jackson's side.

"It's a pleasure to meet you Mr. and Mrs. Kepner," Jackson greeted, making sure to be as polite as possible. "And thank you so much for having me here."

"Please, call me Joe," her dad replied, offering Jackson his hand to shake. Joe Kepner looked to be in his mid sixties. He was just under six feet tall with grey hair and dark rimmed glasses. He looked at Jackson from over the top of his glasses, studying his daughters new boyfriend with interest. Jackson felt more than a little nervous under the weight of Joe Kepner's gaze.

"And you can call me Karen," April's mother said, smiling brightly at Jackson before stepping closer and giving him a friendly hug. Karen looked a lot like April. She was short with light red hair and a bright smile. She had pale skin and eyes the same color as April's. "It's lovely to meet you, Jackson." she added, stepping away.

"You have a very beautiful farm."

Thanks," Joe replied. "The Kepner family has lived here for generations. This farm is almost twice as old as I am." Jackson admired the passion and pride in Joe's voice when he talked about his home. "If you like I could give you a tour of the place?"

Jackson nodded and smiled enthusiastically. "I would like that very much."

April's parents kindly helped them with their suitcases before walking them inside the house. They took Jackson on a quick tour of the inside of the farmhouse, showing him the kitchen and the living room. The inside of the house was just as beautiful as the outside and Jackson couldn't help but smile at the amount of family photos the Kepner's had hanging on their walls.

There were dozens of family portraits and old landscape pictures of the farm. There was a photo of April on the day she started working at Mercy West Hospital and lots more photos of when she graduated medical school. Jackson smiled at a picture of April and her three sisters. Jackson couldn't believe how much the four Kepner daughters looked like each other. They all had the same colored hair and the same eyes.

April came to stand beside him, smiling wistfully at the photo that hung on the living room wall. "That was taken at Thanksgiving three years ago," she murmured. "About three days before Libby gave birth to her first son, Parker." April pointed to the heavily pregnant woman in the middle of the photo. "She's now expecting her third baby in a couple of months

"You look so happy," he pointed out, smiling at the goofy grin on April's face.

"Yeah." April chuckled softly. "My family seem to have that effect on me." She turned away from the picture and gestured for Jackson to follow her and her parents upstairs.

"You'll both be staying in April's old bedroom," Karen told them, while they made their way up the stairs and down a hallway.

"What?" April stopped and looked at her mom in outrage. "B-but I thought Jackson would have his own room?" she questioned, her brow furrowed in confusion. "I thought he'd be sleeping in the guest room?"

Her mom smiled and shook her head. "Yes, but then we thought you'd both be happier sleeping together?"

April was both surprised and confused. She couldn't believe her parents were actually allowing her to share a room with a person of the opposite sex. They'd never believed in sex before marriage and April had really thought that Jackson would be sleeping in a separate room. April had been counting on her mom and dad wanting them to sleep in different beds. How was she supposed to sleep in the same bed as Jackson Avery for an entire week?

The thought made her cheeks burn.

"We weren't born yesterday," her mother added. "We know what you young kids get up to these days."

April was finding it hard to breathe. Her face flushed uncomfortably and she felt as though her skin was suddenly on fire.

"And besides," her father added, clearing his throat. "Your sisters will be spending the week here as well so we wont have enough beds for everyone."

Jackson suppressed the urge to chuckle at the look on April's face. It was more than obvious that she wasn't comfortable with the idea of sharing a bed with him. He understood why she might find the idea a little awkward, she'd probably never shared a bed with a man before, being a virgin and everything.

April's bedroom was like something out of a bad 90's teen movie. Her walls were painted a horrible shade of pink and covered in all kinds of girlie posters and banners. She had a big, four post bed in the middle of the room and her comforter was the same ugly purple color as the curtain that hung over her window. Jackson was happy to see that April had her own bathroom, which meant he wouldn't have to share with the rest of April's family. There was a small couch on one side of the room and a computer desk on the other.

Her parents left them to settle in. Before leaving, Joe Kepner reminded Jackson to come downstairs when he was ready for a tour of the farm. Jackson couldn't help but smile at Joe's enthusiasm. It was obvious that April's dad was really proud of his home and was keen to show it off.

As soon as her parents had left, April sighed and closed the door before going over to her bed and collapsing on the mattress. She sighed heavily and covered her face with her forearm.

Jackson sat his suitcase down at the end of the bed and went over to look out the window. April had an amazing view of the farm, her bedroom overlooked the bright red barn and a lovely little apple orchard. There was a meadow filled with horses and a huge pasture of corn. The farm seemed to stretch on and on for miles.

"Are you okay?" he asked, turning back to look at April.

She sat up on the bed, biting down on her bottom lip. "I-I didn't think my parents would make us share a bed," she told him, moving awkwardly. "I'm sorry if this is going to be weird for you."

He shrugged it off and smiled at her. "It doesn't bother me," he assured her. "But if it bothers you I could make a bed on the floor?" he offered. "Or I could sleep on the couch?" Jackson gestured to the small lounge in the corner of her room.

"No, you don't have to do that," she said. "Trust me, that lounge isn't very comfortable and I wouldn't make you sleep on the floor."

"I don't mind," he murmured. "Whatever you would rather."

"It's fine." April looked at Jackson and smiled. "We'll both be more comfortable in the bed." She pushed the feeling of awkwardness to the back of her mind, reminding herself that it was Jackson, her_ best_ friend. Of course she could share a bed with him. She wasn't going to make a big deal over something so trivial.

"I guess I should get ready for this farm tour. Your dad seems pretty excited to show me around." Jackson went over to his suitcase and picked it up off the floor, sitting it down on the end of April's bed.

"Yeah, my dad really loves this place," she replied, watching as Jackson began to search through his case for a change of clothes. "I think my parents like you," she added, a small smile on her lips.

Jackson found some clothes and turned to look at her. "You think so?" he asked.

She nodded and climbed off the bed. "Yep. I think they're going to love you by the end of the week." April gave him one last smile before making her way out of the room, leaving Jackson to get changed.

...

April helped her mother prepare dinner while her dad took Jackson outside. April stood at the kitchen sink, looking out the window while she peeled and washed some potatoes. Her mother poured them both some wine and went over to hand her daughter a glass.

"Thanks." April smiled at her mom and took a small sip.

Karen stood next to her, looking out the window and smiling when she caught sight of Joe leading Jackson over to the barn. "I think your dad likes him," she mused.

April nodded and sat her glass down beside her, resuming the task of peeling. "I hope so," she whispered in reply, her attention focused on what she was doing.

"Your father is really happy for you, April," Karen said, smiling brightly at her daughter. "We're both so relieved that you finally found someone who makes you happy."

April tried to ignore the rush of guilt that ran down her spine and settled in the pit of her stomach. She hated lying to her parents like this. She couldn't help but wish that she really did have a boyfriend, it would have been so much easier to be here if she wasn't having to lie about it. April nodded in response and continued to peel the potatoes, hoping her mom didn't notice the look on her face.

"Jackson's great," she answered, her voice breaking. "He's my best friend." That wasn't a lie.

Karen went over to take a seat at the breakfast bar in the middle of the kitchen. She picked up a knife and began to chop up some fresh vegetables, putting them in a drainer to be washed. "So how long have you been seeing him?" she asked, keen to learn as much as she could about April's relationship.

April shrugged and took a sip from her wine. "Not that long," she responded. "But I've known Jackson since our intern year at Mercy West."

Her mother looked over at her daughter, furrowing her brow in question. "Why haven't you ever talked about him before?" she asked, curiously.

April stopped peeling and turned to look at her mother. "I don't know." She shrugged and took another sip. "I guess I didn't think Jackson would ever want to go out with me." It was the truth. April knew she was way out of Jackson's league. Jackson could have just about any woman he wanted, he'd never settle for somebody like her.

"But he did," Karen pointed out, smiling brightly at her daughter.

April ignored the rush of guilt that instantly returned. She smiled at her mother and nodded in agreement. "Yeah." She turned back to finish the potatoes. "I guess he did."

After they finished preparing dinner, Karen began to set the table while April went in search of Jackson and her father to let them know dinner was almost ready. She slipped an old pair of gumboots on her feet before letting herself out the back door. Her parents collie, Buddy, came running over to her as soon as she set foot outside. He gave a playful yap before jumping up at her, his tail wagging in excitement.

April gave the dog a quick scratch behind his ears before bending down to pick up a stick, throwing it as far as she could. She laughed as Buddy barked excitedly and hurried to retrieve it, almost falling over his own feet in the process. April threw the stick a few more times before she set out in search of Jackson and her father, Buddy following closely behind.

It didn't take her long to locate them. Her dad was showing Jackson his corn, giving him an in-depth explanation on how they harvest the crop. She smiled at the look on Jackson's face, it was obvious he didn't really know the first thing about farming corn. Buddy quickly ran over to them, barking loudly and alerting them to April's presence. Jackson spun around and smiled at the dog, kneeling down to give him a pat.

"Dinner will be ready soon," she told them, smiling when Buddy rolled onto his back so Jackson could scratch his belly.

"Thanks honey." Her father smiled warmly and went over to kiss the top of her head. "I was just explaining to young Jackson here how the corn process works."

"I hope you're taking notes," April joked, winking at Jackson. "Dad will probably want to quiz you about this stuff later."

Jackson chuckled and stood up, brushing the dirt off his jeans. "It's all very interesting," he told her, shoving his hands into his pockets. "I can see why you guys like this place so much. The farm is beautiful."

"Well there's still a lot more to see, but we'll save that for another time." Joe smiled and gave Jackson a friendly pat on the shoulder. "I better go inside and wash up before dinner." April smiled at her dad and watched as he started making his way back over to the house, Buddy trailing along behind.

"He really loves this place," Jackson said, after Joe had left them alone.

April nodded and turned back around to look out at the pasture in front of them. "He's been here his whole life," she pointed out. "This place means everything to him."

They fell silent. April slipped her hands into her jacket pockets and moved her weight from one foot to the other. It was getting late in the day and the sun was slowly beginning to set, leaving a warm golden glow across the horizon. She closed her eyes and inhaled a deep breath, enjoying the fresh country air and the familiar smell of grass and freshly cut hay. She'd missed this place so much.

Jackson couldn't stop watching her, a hint of a smile on his lips. He'd never seen his friend like this before, so happy and carefree. Being back here seemed to change her, it seemed to bring out a whole different person in April. He found himself wanting to get to know this new version of her better.

Jackson had enjoyed the farm tour with her dad. Joe Kepner had taken him all over the farm, showing him his collection of farm equipment and his horses. He'd genuinely been interested in seeing the farm and listening to the stories Joe had to tell about the place. April's dad seemed like a nice guy and Jackson found himself able to relax around him. Jackson had been worried that Joe might have been one of those over-protective dads that threatened anyone who went near their daughter. Thankfully, that didn't seem to be the case with Joe. April's father made Jackson feel welcome and relaxed and he found himself enjoying the older man's company.

"We should go inside," April said, opening her eyes. "Before my mother comes looking for us."

Jackson nodded in response and they turned back and started towards the house.

"I should warn you," April said. "My mom's probably going to ask you like a billion questions during dinner. She's going to want to know everything about you."

He smiled and shrugged. "I'm sure I can handle it."

After they made it back to the house, April kicked her gumboots off and followed Jackson into the dining room. April's dad was already seated at the table while her mom went to get a bottle of wine from the kitchen. Jackson kindly helped April with her chair before taking the seat next to hers, sitting opposite her father.

"I hope you like lamb," Karen said, walking back into the room and taking a seat. "I'm trying out a new recipe."

"It smells amazing," Jackson commented, appreciating the mouth watering aroma that filled the room. He couldn't remember the last time he'd had a home cooked meal like this before. April poured everyone a glass of wine while they each began to fill their plates with food.

"So," Karen started, taking a sip from her glass and looking across at Jackson. "Tell us about your family, Jackson. Where did you grow up?"

Jackson cleared his throat and smiled across at Mrs. Kepner. "I grew up in Boston," he told her. "I have two older sisters, they're both surgeons."

"Is your dad a surgeon, too?" Joe asked, reaching across the table to help himself to some fresh corn.

Jackson looked down at his plate and moved awkwardly in his chair, he hated talking about his father. "I don't know my father," he replied. "He left my mother when I was a kid."

"I'm sorry, dear," Karen murmured. "That must have been terrible."

Jackson shrugged. "It's no big deal."

"Jackson's grandfather is Harper Avery," April told them, grinning at her parents.

Joe crinkled his brow and looked thoughtful for a moment. "Is that a famous doctor or something?" he asked, curious.

April laughed and rolled her eyes. "He's only the most famous cardiovascular surgeon in America, maybe even the world."

"Wow!" Karen smiled, obviously impressed. "Well it's no wonder you became a surgeon, Jackson. It sounds like it's in your blood."

Jackson took a mouthful of his food, washing it down with a sip of wine. He had to admit that it was nice to be around normal people, people who didn't know about his family history or his grandfather. Being with the Kepner's made Jackson feel like an ordinary person for a change, they were like a breath of much needed fresh air.

"Why don't you tell us how the both of you met?" Karen asked, after a few minutes had passed.

April cleared her throat and moved in her seat. It was obvious that she didn't feel comfortable answering questions about her and Jackson's pretend relationship.

"We met at Mercy West," Jackson replied. "We were interns together." He turned to look at April, giving her a warm smile before reaching out and placing his hand over hers. She stiffened, surprised by his touch. Jackson decided that if April wanted her parents to believe that they were an actual couple than they would have to start acting like one.

"And what made you want to date our daughter?" Karen prodded, cocking her brow in interest.

Jackson's throat suddenly felt dry and he suppressed the urge to clear it. He'd never had to explain himself to a girl's parents before. "April's amazing," he murmured. "She's my best friend. I trust her more than I trust anybody. She's been there for me through everything." He flashed April a small smile, hoping he was saying all the right things. "She's honest and caring and she's the most loyal person I know. I'm lucky to have her." He turned back to her parents, squeezing April's hand.

April was speechless. She hadn't expected Jackson to be so good at this whole acting thing. She looked over at her mom, surprised to see that she had tears in her eyes. It was obvious that her mother had believed Jackson's words and she was beginning to fall in love with her pretend boyfriend. April swallowed back the guilt that slowly began to bubble to the surface, reminding herself that in a few days this would all be over.

April forced a smile to her face and gently tugged her hand free from his grip. She picked up her knife and fork and continued eating. "So, what are the plans for the rest of the week?" she asked, eager to change the subject.

"Your sisters arrive tomorrow," Joe said.

"And on Wednesday we're going into Columbus to find new dresses for the party," Karen added. "And we have to pick up the table settings and talk to the caterers. They're going to have some cake samples for us to try." She sounded pretty excited about that.

"Table settings?" April questioned, surprised. "Just how extravagant is this party going to be, mom?"

Karen took a mouthful of food and smiled. "It's our 40th anniversary," she stated. "It has to be extravagant."

"She's even organized a band to play," Joe murmured, shaking his head in disbelief.

April was surprised. She hadn't realized her mom had been planning such a big party. "How many people are going to be coming?" she questioned, looking between both her parents.

"About a hundred," Karen stated. "Give or take a few."

April's eyes widened in shock and she reached out to pick up her wine glass, taking a large drink. She didn't even think her parents knew that many people.

"Uncle Ben and Aunt Sandy are even coming from Peru," Karen said, her voice filled with glee. "And your cousins from France will be there."

"Sounds like half of Ohio will be there as well," April replied, sounding a little sarcastic.

Jackson remained silent for the rest of the meal, listening as April and her parents talked about party plans and long lost relatives. Mrs Kepner really did have a full week of activities planned for everyone. On Thursday they were having a family barbecue with a few of Karen and Joe's friends, and on Friday they were going to be setting everything up for the party on Saturday.

After dinner was finished, Jackson helped clear the table. April started washing the dishes and Jackson quickly made his way over to help her, grabbing a towel to dry them. Karen packed all the leftovers into the fridge while April's dad took a glass of wine into his den, stating that he had some paperwork to get done. Karen finished packing everything away before excusing herself, leaving April and Jackson alone to wash up.

"You handled that really well," April mused, after her mom had left.

Jackson grinned as he picked up a glass and began to dry it. "Your parents a great," he told her. "Your mom's really excited about her party," he added.

April nodded, reaching over to sit a wet plate on the drying rack. "I'm glad that even after all these years of being married to my father she can still be excited about celebrating their anniversary."

Jackson nodded and was thoughtful for a minute. "I can't imagine what that's like," he murmured. "Loving somebody, the same person, for 40 years." Jackson hadn't been in a relationship that had lasted more than a few months. He couldn't even begin to think about what it might be like to wake up to the same person every day for such a long period of time. He wasn't sure if he could ever love somebody _that_ much.

"You'll see what it's like one day," April told him. "One day you'll meet a girl and fall in love and you wont be able to imagine what it was ever like without her."

Jackson admired her faith, but he couldn't picture himself settling down like that. "I don't know," he said, grabbing another glass to dry. "I'm not sure if the whole falling in love and living happily ever after thing is for me."

April looked at him, wondering how her best friend could be such cynic. "We'll see," she replied, giving him a knowing smile.

It didn't take them long to finish washing up. After packing the dishes away, April and Jackson decided to call it a night. Jackson made his way upstairs while April went to find her parents, wishing them both a goodnight before making her way up to her bedroom.

Jackson had changed into a pair of pajama pants and was getting ready to get into bed. April's eyes widened when she realized Jackson wasn't wearing a shirt to bed and she couldn't control the blush that crept up her neck and up her cheeks. She looked away from her shirtless friend, trying her hardest not think about the fact that she would be sharing a bed with him for the next seven days. She hurried over to her case and grabbed her nightgown and her toiletries, excusing herself to use the bathroom and get ready for bed.

Jackson checked his phone for messages before plugging it in to charge. He went over to April's bed and pulled the covers back, sliding between the sheets. He fluffed the pillow and sighed as he laid down on the mattress. Jackson hadn't realized how tired and exhausted he'd been until his head made contact with the soft pillow.

He closed his eyes for a few minutes, opening them again when April came out of the bathroom. He watched her flick the bathroom light off and make her way over to her suitcase, packing her toiletries back into the case. He couldn't help but appreciate the view of April bending over, her nightshirt sliding up her legs as she packed her things away. The nightgown she had on was a little short on her and Jackson found himself admiring the way her smooth, creamy thighs seemed to peak out from under the thin fabric. He wondered if April realized how indecent her choice of sleepwear was. He doubted it.

He quickly looked away when April spun around. She made her way over to the other side of the bed and hesitated for a moment before slowly pulling the covers back and climbing in. He suppressed the urge to laugh as April made herself comfortable, making sure to leave plenty of distance between them on the mattress. It was obvious that she was more than a little uncomfortable with their sleeping arrangement.

"April?" he whispered, after she'd switched the lamp off.

"Yeah?" her voice broke.

"I don't bite," he assured her, a small grin spreading across his lips. "You don't have to sleep on the edge of the bed."

April swallowed the lump in her throat and clamped her eyes tightly shut. To say that she was a little uncomfortable would be a huge understatement. She inhaled a deep breath before forcing herself to move a fraction of an inch closer to him.

"Goodnight, Jackson," she murmured.

He smiled and closed his eyes. "Goodnight."

* * *

**AN: Soooooo...what are our thoughts? Do we want to read more? I've never written a fic like this before so I'm kinda freaking out a little haha. Not sure how often I'll be updating...I'm going to aim at once a week but it might be more often, depends on how fast I can write :)**

**Reviews are love. **


	3. Roses and Butterflies

**Heya everyone! **

**You are all amazing. Thank you SO much to everyone who reviewed/Favorited/followed this story...you are all the best! Your reviews make me so happy! I tried to reply to everyone but I'm sorry if I didn't get time to write to you...the past couple of weeks have been crazy busy and I haven't had much time to get on my computer...sorry! Also I'm sorry for the delay in updating...I had every intention of putting this chapter up sooner but it didn't happen (I know I suck lol) anyways this chapter is a little longer than the others so that kinda makes up for having to wait so long...I hope you all enjoy it and let me know what you think! :)**

**Oh and a friendly reminder that this story is rated M...this chapter kinda starts to touch on that but only slightly...**

* * *

_I can see where you are_  
_ I can tell you're enjoying it so far_  
_ I would love to escape, but now I'm bound_  
_ by the of burn of your eyes_  
_ looking on as I'm starting to realize_  
_ I'm a pawn in your game and this is checkmate_

* * *

**Chapter 3: Roses and Butterflies**

Jackson woke early the next day. He went to stretch out, but found it almost impossible to move. Opening his eyes, Jackson was surprised to see that April had moved across the bed during the night. She was wrapped around him, using his body as her pillow. April's head rested comfortably on his chest and her arms and legs were intertwined with his. Her hair was a tousled mess, flared out over his neck. He could smell the strawberry shampoo she used.

April mumbled in her sleep. She moved even closer to him, her face pressing into his neck and her chest flush with his. He could feel her warm, smooth skin against him and he instantly became aware of just how close her body was. His morning erection was throbbing between his legs and if she moved even a fraction of an inch she'd probably be touching it.

He gulped and closed his eyes. Jackson would be lying if he didn't admit that April Kepner had starred in a few of his best fantasies. How could she not? She was beautiful and innocent and she had absolutely no idea just how sexy she was. Being close to her like this, feeling her small, tight body pressed against him was the worst kind of torture imaginable.

_She's your best friend! _He mentally scolded himself, trying his hardest to ignore the way his dick throbbed and his hands itched to touch her, to feel her. _She's a virgin! You're not allowed to think about her like that! _Sighing under his breath, Jackson shifted gently in the bed, moving carefully so he wouldn't wake her. He slowly untangled himself from her, groaning when he felt her brush against his morning wood.

After Jackson had finally untangled himself from April, he gently slid out of the bed, going straight to the bathroom. He ran himself a cold shower, needing to try and clear his head and will his painful erection away. Not thinking, Jackson got out of his clothes and stepped under the cold stream of water, pushing all indecent thoughts of his best friend right out of his mind.

April began to stir a while later. She awoke feeling better rested than she had done in ages. Her eyes remained closed as she stretched and sighed, inhaling a familiar, masculine smell which lingered on her pillow. It smelled like aftershave mixed with soap and a hint of something else she couldn't quite place. She breathed deeply and pressed her nose into the pillow, enjoying the familiar smell. It took her a moment before she slowly became conscious, her eyes fluttering open as she became more aware of where she was.

April was suddenly wide awake and very alert. She jumped up in the bed, gasping in surprise when she realized that she'd crept over to Jackson's side of the mattress at some point during the night. It took her a second to realize that she was clutching Jackson's pillow tight against her chest, pressing her nose into the fabric that still smelled heavily like her best friend. She quickly tossed it away, dropping it on the floor next to the bed. April looked over at the empty bed beside her, her heart racing and her cheeks going bright red with embarrassment. She chewed nervously on her bottom lip when she noticed just how much of the bed she'd been taking up.

April had never felt more embarrassed in all her life!

She wondered where Jackson was and hoped she hadn't pushed him out of the bed during the night. The thought made her feel even worse and she quickly flopped back down, covering her face with a pillow.

After a few minutes, April forced herself out of bed and into the bathroom. She took care of her morning duties, taking a hot shower and brushing her teeth. After getting dressed, April ran a brush through her hair and pulled it back into a neat braid. She slipped her shoes on before making her way downstairs and into the kitchen.

Her parents were seated at the kitchen table. April's mom was doing a crossword puzzle while her dad read the morning newspaper. They both looked up at their daughter when she walked into the room. "Morning," April murmured, making her way over to pour herself some coffee. She found it almost impossible to function properly in the morning without her morning caffeine.

"Hey, Sweetie," her mother greeted, getting up from her chair. "I made breakfast." She went over to grab April a plate, piling it with eggs, bacon and sausages. "I hope you're hungry."

"Thanks." April took her mug of coffee and went to sit down next to her dad, taking a sip from the hot drink. Her mom slid her breakfast in front of her and April tried not to cringe at the amount of food her mum had put on the plate.

"Where's Jackson?" she asked, clutching her mug with both hands.

"He went to go for a run," her mom stated, sitting back down at the table. "He said to tell you he wouldn't be gone long."

"Oh." April nodded in response and took another drink. She picked up her fork and began to eat the big breakfast her mom had made.

"Your sister will be here soon," her dad said, looking up from his newspaper. "Jeremy and Libby left Chicago a few hours ago." Jeremy was Libby's husband, they'd been married for almost five years now. They'd moved to Chicago a few years ago for Jeremy's new job. "She's really looking forward to seeing you." Her dad smiled fondly, obviously excited at the thought of seeing Libby, his eldest daughter. It had been over a year since all four of his daughters had been together.

April smiled at her dad and took another mouthful of her breakfast. "I bet the kids have grown a lot since I last saw them," she commented. "How old is Matt now?" Matt was Libby's youngest son, he was only a few months old when April had last seen him.

"Matthew's almost nine months now," her mother replied. "And Parker's three. He starts kindergarten next year."

After she'd had enough to eat, April emptied her leftovers into the trash and washed her plate. Excusing herself, April decided to go sit outside. It was such a beautiful morning and she decided to go soak up some of the morning sunshine for a little while. April walked out onto the front porch and knelt down to give Buddy a scratch behind his ears. He yelped playfully and quickly ran over to get his ball for her to throw. She laughed at the dog's enthusiasm before sitting herself down on the porch step. April threw the ball for Buddy a few times, smiling as the dog chased after it and quickly brought it back. She praised him each time he returned the toy to her, giving him a friendly pat and telling him he was a good boy.

April wasn't outside for very long before Jackson returned from his morning run. He came jogging down the driveway, smiling at April and quickly running over to where she was seated. "Hey," he greeted, a little breathless.

April looked up at him, noticing how sweaty he was from his run. "Hey," she replied, watching as he used the hem of his shirt to wipe some of the sweat off his forehead, giving her a flash of his perfectly sculptured stomach. She tensed and flushed bright red, quickly averting her gaze. "Did you have a nice run?" she asked.

She had never felt more awkward and uncomfortable around Jackson in all the time she'd known him. April didn't know why, but she suddenly felt flustered and nervous and she didn't know how she was supposed to act. He'd never had this kind of effect on her before. April blamed it on the fact that she'd probably spent half of last night sleeping on top of him.

"It was great," he replied, sitting down next to her.

He was sitting right beside her, his shoulder pressed against hers. April could smell the sweat on his skin and feel the heat radiating through his body. She clenched her jaw and suppressed the urge to move away.

They sat in silence for a few minutes. April felt as though she needed to say something about last night, mention the fact that she pretty much violated him in her sleep. She felt her entire face flush and she started to seriously consider the idea of sleeping on the uncomfortable lounge for the rest of the week.

Her thoughts were interrupted when a blue truck pulled up outside the house. Jackson and April watched as a man, who looked to be in his late twenties, parked the car and climbed out of the drivers seat. The man had tanned skin and sunglasses that covered most of his face. He wore a red flannelette shirt and a large, cowboy style hat. He removed his sunglasses and started towards them.

"Oh my gosh!" April whispered, her eyes wide with surprise.

Jackson furrowed his brow and looked over at April to see that she obviously recognized the man. Jackson watched as April quickly sprung to her feet and ran down the steps, pulling the guy into a tight hug. She greeted him excitedly, her eyes filling with tears as she held onto him for a few seconds, her arms wrapped tightly around his neck.

Jackson got to his feet, crossing his arms over his chest and watching as April stepped back from the handsome stranger, her hands resting comfortably on the man's shoulders. "I thought you were in Texas," she said, a huge grin on her face. "What are you doing here?"

Jackson took in the way the guy held April, gripping her waist with both his hands. He looked down at her, a bright smile on his face. He was tall, at least six and a half feet. He had broad shoulders and shaggy hair that fell to the base of his neck. "I heard you were back in town and I wanted to surprise you," he told her, a smile on his face. "You look amazing, Apple."

Apple? Jackson raised his brow at the pet name and watched as April blushed and looked away, smiling coyly. Jackson took the moment to clear his throat and make his presence known. He came to stand at April's side and didn't think before wrapping an arm around her waist, pulling April flush against his side.

"I'm Jackson," he greeted, offering the guy his hand. "I'm April's boyfriend."

She stiffened against him and inhaled a sharp breath. April obviously hadn't expected Jackson to hold her like that. She would have to start getting used to him touching her like this, since they still had six days left of pretending they were a couple.

"It's nice to meet you," the man greeted, shaking his hand. "I'm Sam."

"His parents own the farm next door," April clarified. "We've known each other our whole lives."

Jackson watched as the guy, Sam, flashed April a dazzling smile, showing off a perfect set of pearly white teeth. "We've been best friends forever," he added, his eyes filled with adoration as he looked down at April. It was more than obvious that this Sam guy had it bad for her.

Jackson didn't know why, but the thought bothered him more than it probably should have.

"I didn't know you were seeing somebody," Sam said, looking between her and Jackson.

April nodded and smiled. She reached up to tuck a loose strand of hair back behind her ear. "Jackson and I met back in Seattle," she explained. "We work at the hospital together."

"We'll have to catch up for a beer one night while you're in town," Sam said, turning to look at Jackson. "I've got tonnes of childhood stories about our Apple that I'm sure you'd love to hear." _Our_ Apple?

Jackson forced himself to smile. "Sounds great."

"Would you like to come in for a drink?" April offered.

Sam shook his head. "No, I can't stay. I'm on my way into town." He removed his hat. "I just thought I'd quickly call in and say hello."

"It's great to see you again," April told him. "Are you coming to the party on Saturday?"

"I wouldn't miss it for the world." He gave her another dazzling smile.

They made small talk for a little while before Sam had to go. Jackson watched as April hugged him goodbye and walked him over to his truck. Jackson ignored the rush of discomfort that passed down his spine when he watched her plant a friendly kiss on the guys cheek.

Once Sam had left, April turned back to Jackson, still smiling. "I can't believe he's back in town," she said, excitedly.

"He calls you Apple?" Jackson asked her, cocking his brow. "Seriously?"

April shrugged. "It was his pet name for me when we were kids. I guess it kinda stuck."

"He totally wants to get inside your pants," Jackson informed her, a teasing smirk on his face.

April shook her head, rolling her eyes at his comment. "That's not true," she retorted, defensively. "We're just friends."

Just friends? Jackson didn't believe that for a second. April obviously had some kind of history with the guy. _Just friends_ didn't look at each other the way douchebag had been looking at her just now. Jackson wasn't an idiot, he could see that something had definitely gone on between her and Sam. He didn't know why, but Jackson found himself disliking April's friend more than he probably should have.

. . . . . . .

"Where on earth did you find him?" Libby asked, as soon as she was alone with April.

April was sitting with her sister in the kitchen, watching their mom make iced tea for everyone. Jackson and Libby's husband, Jeremy, were out on the back porch, having a beer with Joe and cooking lunch on the barbecue. After Libby arrived at the farm, April introduced Jackson to her sister's family before Joe directed the guys outside to prepare some burgers for lunch. When the guys had left, April's sister wasted no time questioning her about Jackson. Almost as soon as the guys were out of the room Libby had pounced on April for information, wanting to know every little detail about her new boyfriend.

April had Matthew on her knee. The chubby baby seemed to be fascinated with the silver chain that hung around April's neck. April smiled at her nephew, kissing the top of his head. She couldn't believe how much he'd grown since the last time she'd seen him.

"I met him at work," April replied, her eyes focused on Matthew. "He's a plastic surgeon."

"He's hot," Libby stated, an appreciative smile on her face.

"How's the pregnancy going?" April asked, eager to change the subject. "Not long to go now," she added, smiling at her sisters baby bump.

"I'm almost eight months along." Libby reached over to grab April's hand, placing her palm over her stomach so her sister could feel the baby move.

April's eyes lit up when she felt it, a huge grin spreading across her face. "That's amazing," she breathed.

"She doesn't stop moving," Libby stated. "Keeps me up most of the night."

"Have you thought of any names yet?" April asked, her hand still resting on her sisters stomach.

"We're tossing ideas around," Libby told her. "Jeremy likes the name Isabella, after his grandmother."

"That's a lovely name," April smiled and looked down at Matthew, surprised to see that he'd fallen asleep in her arms. She didn't think before pulling him closer against her, letting his head rest against her chest.

Karen excused herself, taking a tray of iced tea outside for the boys. After their mom had left the room, Libby spun her chair around so she faced April, a smirk on her face. "Have you had sex yet?" she asked, wagging her brow suggestively.

"What?" April looked at her sister in shock, she hadn't expected her to be so forward.

Libby gave her a smile and moved to get comfortable. "Come on, you can tell me," she prodded. "Have you finally given up your v card?"

April looked away, her cheeks burning. "We're _so_ not having this conversation," she mumbled.

Libby sighed in frustration. "Stop being such a prude," she argued. "My sex life is pretty non-existent right now. I'm too fat and tired to do anything more than second base with Jeremy."

"Libby!" April scolded, her eyes wide.

"What?" Her older sister laughed and took a drink from her glass of iced tea. "It's only sex, April. It's nothing to feel ashamed about."

"I-I..." April looked away, feeling as though her face was on fire. She really didn't want to talk about this with her sister.

"What's he like in bed?" Libby prodded. "Is he any good?" Her sister smiled and began to play with the straw in her glass. "I bet he's built like a horse," she mused.

"Please stop," April replied, shaking her head. "Please...stop talking now."

April breathed a sigh of relief when Parker, Libby's son, came running into the kitchen, putting an end to their conversation. He ran over to his mom and went to give her a hug, his little hands covered in dirt from playing outside. "Doggy catched the ball!" he told his mom, voice filled with excitement. "He wan afer it!"

"That's great honey." Libby scooped her son up into her arms, peppering his cheeks with kisses.

Jackson came into the kitchen only a moment later, making his way over to where April was seated at the breakfast bar. He didn't say anything before leaning down and giving her a kiss on her cheek, smiling at the baby asleep in her arms. April blushed when his lips touched her skin, she bit down on her lower lip and tried to ignore the way her heart started to race.

"Lunch is almost ready," Jackson told her, draping his arm over her shoulder. April's entire body stiffened at his closeness and her breath caught in her throat. She hated that Jackson had this effect on her and she found herself wanting to put as much distance between them as possible.

Libby looked between her and Jackson with obvious interest, a smile on her lips. April tried not to think about the conversation they'd been having only a moment ago. She narrowed her eyes at her sister, praying she wouldn't say something to embarrass her in front of Jackson.

"I should go put Matthew down in his crib," Libby said, lowering Parker onto the ground before pulling herself to her feet. "With a bit of luck he should stay sleeping for at least another hour." April gently passed Matthew over to his mother and watched as Libby made her way out of the kitchen, Parker trailing along behind her.

As soon as they'd left, April quickly pushed Jackson's arm off of her. "Can you please stop doing that?" she asked, frowning at him.

"Doing what?"

"Touching me all the time," she mumbled. "It makes me uncomfortable."

He looked down at her, his lip curled in amusement. "Isn't that what I'm supposed to do?" he asked. "I thought we're supposed to make everyone think we're a couple?"

April nodded. "We are," she answered. "But that doesn't mean you have to make it all awkward and weird."

Jackson sat down next to her. "It's only awkward and weird because you're thinking about it too much." He sighed and turned to face her. "Maybe if you try and relax and actually pretend that you're in love with me you might find it easier. You're family aren't going to believe us if you keep blushing every time I touch you."

She blushed again. "I'm sorry," she whispered. "I'm not good at this whole relationship thing."

He nodded in understanding. "I know this is all new for you, April," he told her, voice low. "And in a week this will all be over and we can go back to normal, but for now you need to relax and get used to me touching you. How can we pass as a couple if you go rigid whenever I kiss you on the cheek?"

April sighed. She knew he was right. She needed to try and relax and get used to the idea of being close to him. How was she supposed to make everyone believe that she truly loved him if she wouldn't even let him put his arm around her?

….

April's younger sisters turned up at the farm later that afternoon. Kimmie, the youngest of the four siblings, was the first to arrive. She came with her new boyfriend, Carl, a law student she'd met back in California. They'd met on a dating website a few months ago and it was obvious that Kimmie was head over heels in love with her new boyfriend. She couldn't seem to keep her hands off of him when she introduced Carl to the rest of her family.

Alice and her husband, Zack, turned up just before dinner. Alice had met Zack in college and they were now living together in New Orleans. They recently got married in Vegas, a spare of the moment decision they'd made without telling anyone. The young couple had kept the wedding a secret until after they'd gotten back from their honeymoon. To say that April was shocked that her younger sister had gotten married so fast would have been a huge understatement.

That night, everyone sat down at the dinning table for dinner. Jackson sat with April up one end of the table. He ate his meal in silence, listening to April and her sisters make loud conversation between themselves, all of them more than excited to see each other again.

When dinner was over and after Karen and Joe had gone to bed, Jackson and April sat with the rest of April's sisters in the living room. Kimmie and Carl sat together on a single lounge chair, Kimmie curled up in her boyfriends lap while he played with her hair. Libby, after putting her kids to bed, was stretched out on the lounge, her head in Jeremy's lap. Alice was seated on the other single lounge while her husband sat on the floor in front of her, his attention focused on his cell phone.

April hadn't felt this content in a long time. They had made a fire and she was sitting on a blanket in front of the open fireplace, staring at the orange and red flames in front of her. She hadn't been this happy and relaxed since the last time she'd been at the farm. Jackson was sitting beside her on the floor, his legs stretched out in front of him. She glanced at him a few times, enjoying the way the light of the fire seemed to dance across his skin, highlighting his handsome features. He looked relaxed and comfortable and she couldn't help but think how well he seemed to fit in here. Jackson had gotten on well with the rest of her family, better than she'd imagined. Her sisters really liked him and he'd spent most of the afternoon talking about sports with Jeremy, the two guys had bonded over their mutual love for football.

"Jackson, did April ever tell you about the time she swam naked in the neighbors swimming pool?" Kimmie asked, breaking the silence and causing April to groan in embarrassment. She hung her head, covering her face with both her hands. She couldn't believe her sister was going to tell Jackson this story.

Jackson turned to look at April, a grin on his face. "No," he replied, amused. "She didn't."

Kimmie smiled and turned her head to look at Jackson. "It's true," she told him. "It was her fourteenth birthday party and we were playing truth or dare."

Libby started laughing. "I remember that," she added, voice filled with amusement. "It was the middle of the night and after April jumped into the water we quickly ran away with her clothes so she had to walk home naked."

April turned to look at her sisters, narrowing her eyes. "I still can't believe you guys did that to me!" she told them. "That was by far the most humiliating experience of my life."All three of her sisters were laughing at the memory. Jackson couldn't help but smile in amusement, finding it hard to believe that April would ever do that. The April Kepner he knew would never dive into a swimming pool without her clothes on.

"It wasn't funny!" April mumbled, displeased. "I could have gotten hypothermia from that." Jackson smiled at the look of discomfort on April's face. He thought it was endearing how easily embarrassed his best friend could be.

"You okay?" Jackson murmured, wanting to make sure she wasn't taking their teasing _too_ seriously.

She nodded and sighed. "My sisters always seem to find amusement in my suffering," she stated, voice flat.

"Jackson, why don't you kiss her and make her feel better?" Libby suggested, wagging her brow at him suggestively.

April looked away, her skin burning. She wanted to smack her sister across the head for being so embarrassing. Why did she always have to say things like that?

"Awwww yes!" Alice gushed, a giant grin on her face. "I've never seen April kiss anyone before."

April's eyes went wide and she bit down nervously on her bottom lip, wishing the ground would open up and swallow her whole. She couldn't believe her sisters were being so embarrassing!

"Leave them alone, Libby," Jeremy scolded. "Don't be so annoying."

"Oh come on," Libby prodded, ignoring her husband. "It's just a kiss."

April's heart seemed to come to a complete stop when Jackson took hold of her face in his hand, turning her head towards him. She didn't get a chance to comprehend anything before his mouth landed over hers. His lips was soft against her own, brushing against hers in a soft kiss that made her heart flutter inside her chest. She gasped against his mouth, his hand gently caressing her cheek as her eyes fluttered closed, her entire body humming with nervous energy at the feel of Jackson's lips against hers.

She snapped back to reality, pulling away and putting an end to the kiss. His hand fell from her cheek as his gaze remained glued to hers, his beautiful blue eyes gazing down at her. April looked at him in shock, finding it hard to believe that he'd just kissed her like that in front of her sisters. Her mouth hung open and her heart raced so fast she thought it might jump out of her chest.

"Awwww!" Kimmie's voice broke the silence. "You guys are so cute!"

April turned away from him and ignored whatever her sisters were saying, her mind a thousand miles away. Her lips tingled and she suppressed the urge to touch them, to run her fingers over them. April swallowed the dry lump in her throat and looked back at the fire, feeling a little dazed and confused.

She didn't know why she was so shocked that he'd kissed her. It was all part of their act. If he hadn't kissed her than her sisters would grow suspicious and they'd risk exposing the truth. April shook herself from her thoughts, ignoring the butterflies that were fluttering around in the pit of her stomach.

April cleared her throat and pulled herself to her feet. "I-I think I might go to bed," she said, feeling Jackson's eyes on her. "It's getting late." She went over to hug her sisters, ignoring the way her legs seemed to tremble under her weight. She blamed it on the fact she'd been sitting down for too long, telling herself that Jackson's kiss had nothing to do with the sudden weakness in her knees.

Jackson watched April leave the room and couldn't help but wonder if she was angry at him for kissing her. He hadn't really thought about what it might do to her, he'd acted on impulse. Her sisters had been pressuring him to kiss her and he'd decided that it would look pretty suspicious if he refused to do it.

Jackson had to admit that kissing April had been better than he'd ever imagined. Her lips had been warm and soft and he'd had to fight the urge to deepen the kiss, to slip his tongue into her mouth and tangle his hands through her hair. Her lips felt amazing and they tasted better than he'd imagined. Jackson sighed and closed his eyes, reminding himself that this was all an act for April's family. They'd return to Seattle soon and it would all go back to normal. April would go back to being his shy, virginal best friend.

He waited a little while before excusing himself and making his way up to April's room. He pushed the bedroom door open and was surprised to see that April was already in bed asleep. He used the light from his cellphone to see his way through the dark room. After using the bathroom and changing into his sleep pants, Jackson climbed into bed, rolling onto his side so he was facing her. He was surprised to see that April had purposely placed a pillow in the middle of the bed, using it as a wall between them.

April lay curled up on her side of the bed, her back to him. She'd pretended to be asleep as soon as she'd heard Jackson enter the room. Her breath hitched when she felt him climb in beside her, the mattress moving as he got comfortable. The bed suddenly felt much smaller as she clamped her eyes tightly closed, willing herself to go to sleep. She hated the way he was making her feel. Their friendship had never felt this awkward before. Why was he suddenly having this kind of effect on her?

Her lips were still burning from his kiss and she couldn't help but hate herself for enjoying it so much. The kiss didn't mean anything, not really. Jackson had only done it because he was acting in front of her sisters, it wasn't like he'd _wanted _to kiss her or anything. Besides, he was way out of her league. Jackson could have any woman he wanted, he would never want to settle for someone like her.

April sighed into her pillow and she prayed that the next few days would go quickly. She couldn't wait to go home and pretend that this entire week had never even happened. The sooner Jackson and April's friendship could go back to normal, the better.

* * *

**This chapter title comes from the song Roses and Butterflies by Making April. You should listen to it if you haven't already. It's a great song! :)**

**AN: So...did we like it? Hate it? There's a few little sparks beginning to fly between Jackson and April now...and things are gonna start to change between them during the next chapter (which I'm like halfway through writing) I was planning on making a few changes to this chapter but decided to just roll with it haha...hope it turned out okay?  
**

**Please review! (it only takes a second or two) I'd love to hear any suggestions or ideas you'd like to see happen in future chapters...any kind of feedback is very much appreciated!**


	4. Red Wine

**AN: **Hey guys! First thing first I have to say a huge gigantic thanks for all your amazing reviews...you have no idea how great they were to read! You're all amazing! Also I want to once again apologize for the lack of updates for the past couple of weeks...real life is pretty busy so I'm having trouble updating as much as I would like but I promise I'm trying to write as quickly as I can! Last thing I want to say is that I'm sorry if this chapter isn't as good as everyone expected it to be...for some reason I'm not all that happy with it...I had to stop myself from deleting it all and re-writing the whole thing! So I hope you like it more than I do!

Enjoy!

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**Chapter 4: Red Wine**

* * *

April woke the following morning, surprised to find that she'd slept in. Jackson was gone, the bed beside her empty. April could hear her family talking and laughing downstairs and she could smell breakfast being cooked in the kitchen. Her stomach rumbled at the delicious smell of bacon and freshly baked biscuits, signalling to April that it was time for her to get up and have something to eat.

It didn't take her long to get ready. After she'd had a shower, April changed into her favorite grey and white sun dress, matching it with a light blue cardigan. She slipped a pair of flats on her feet and made her way downstairs. The rest of her family were already awake and sitting at the breakfast table, making conversation as they devoured the large breakfast her mother had made for everyone.

Jackson was seated between Alice and Libby at the table. He was telling everyone about a surgery he'd performed last month. April's sisters seemed to be captivated by the young plastic surgeon as he told them all about the nose job he'd done on a young girl who was born with severely deformed facial features. Even April's mother had stopped cooking to come and listen to him talk.

No one seemed to notice April walk into the room. She smiled, going over to help herself to a mug of hot coffee. Jeremy and Zack had just poured themselves out some coffee and they were both standing by the sink, talking quietly between themselves.

"I think my wife might be in love with your boyfriend," Jeremy joked, flashing April a smile.

Zack laughed and nodded in agreement. "Mine too."

April grabbed a slice of toast and her coffee and went to stand between her bother-in-laws. "I'm glad Jackson seems to get along with everyone," she murmured, watching Jackson interact with the rest of her family.

Jeremy draped an arm over April's shoulder, giving her a smile. "He better treat you right," he warned. "Because you know I wont hesitate to come to Seattle and kick his ass if he hurts you."

April grinned at Jeremy and leaned her head against him, thankful for his concern. Jeremy was like the big brother she'd never had. "You don't have to worry about me," she told him. "Jackson's great."

* * *

"You okay?" Jackson asked, his eyes on the road in front of them. Jackson and April were on their way into Columbus. They were going to spend the day with the rest of April's family, her mother had a lot of shopping and last minute party stuff to take care of.

April cleared her throat and lifted her chin to look over at her best friend. It was the first time they'd been alone since yesterday and to say that things were even more awkward between them would be a huge understatement. The fake kiss they'd shared last night had done nothing to make things better. It was like the giant elephant in the room and April couldn't help but hate herself for thinking about it so much.

_What's the big deal? _She asked herself. _It's not like the kiss meant anything. He only kissed you because your sisters were there and he was acting in front of them. Stop over thinking everything! He's your best friend!_

"I'm fine," she replied, a forced smile on her lips.

Jackson glanced over at her, his brow furrowed. "You sure?" He looked back at the road, his grip on the wheel tightening. "Do...do you want to talk about last night?" he asked her, refusing to make eye contact.

Jackson hadn't felt this guilty in a long time. He hated himself for making things so uncomfortable between him and April. If he hadn't kissed her last night then everything would be fine and things wouldn't be so awkward and weird between them right now. The kiss hadn't meant anything, he'd only done it because he was pressured into it. At the time he hadn't really thought about it, he'd acted on impulse. It was only a pretend kiss in front of her family, it hadn't meant anything.

But then when he'd actually done it, when his lips had touched hers, it was like something seemed to change and the kiss went from being a meaningless gesture to being something else entirely. Her mouth had felt good against his and her lips had tasted better than anything he'd ever tried before. Jackson found himself unable to stop thinking about it and that scared him more than anything. The taste of her lips still lingered on his, a painful reminder of how amazing it had felt to kiss her. April was supposed to be his best friend. He was supposed to look after her and protect her from guys like himself. He wasn't supposed to kiss her and he certainly wasn't supposed to enjoy it!

"What's there to talk about?" April asked him, shrugging it off like it wasn't a big deal. "It was only a kiss, Jackson. It didn't mean anything. I've pretty much forgotten it already." She flashed him a smile before turning to look out her window, signalling that the conversation was over.

He tried to ignore the way his stomach clenched at her words. "Yeah," he agreed. "It's forgotten already."

* * *

April huffed impatiently as she went back into the change room for what felt like the one thousandth time since she'd arrived at the dress shop. April's mother sat on a chair outside the dressing room with Parker seated beside her and Matthew asleep in his stroller. She sat and watched as her daughters spent most of the afternoon trying on hundreds of different dresses, insisting that they each have a new outfit to wear to the party on Saturday. While the girls went shopping for dresses, Joe Kepner had taken Jackson and the rest of the guys to buy new suits, organizing to meet up with them later for dinner.

April locked herself inside the change room before she started undressing yet again. She slipped her sun dress off over her head before stepping into the bright pink dress her mom had forced her to try on. April knew, even before she'd tried it on, that she wouldn't like it. It was too pink and too frilly, definitely not her style. But, she didn't want to upset her mother, so she took the dress without objection and went back into the change room to put it on.

The dress made her look like a giant pink balloon. It hung on her in all the wrong places and clashed with April's red hair. She forced a smile on her face before she stepped out of the change room, turning around to give her mom full view of the hideous dress.

"That looks awful," Alice said, exiting the change room opposite April's.

April smiled at her sister and turned to look at her reflection in the mirror.

"But I think it looks nice," her mother argued.

April rolled her eyes at her mom. "I look hideous, mom," she replied. "I can't wear this."

Kimmie came walking out of another change room. She was wearing a dark blue dress that fell to her knees. It was strapless and tight and it showed off all of her beautiful curves. She looked amazing in the dress and April couldn't help but envy her sister for looking so good.

"Oh my god!" Alice clapped her hands at the sight of Kimmie's dress. "You have to get that one! You look amazing, Kim!"

"Do you really think so?" Kimmie asked, going over to stand next to April at the large mirror. "Do you think Carl will like it?" she questioned, turning around to look at the back of the dress.

"He'll love it," April murmured, smiling at her younger sister. "You look beautiful."

Kimmie grinned and ran her hands over the front of her dress. "Yeah. I think this is the one," she told them, a smile on her face.

An hour later and April's sisters had all managed to find their perfect dresses. Alice settled on a black cocktail dress while Libby went for a soft pink maternity dress that fell to the floor. The heavily pregnant sister looked amazing in the floor length maxi dress which highlighted her baby bump perfectly.

April was the only one who still hadn't decided on a dress to wear. April and her sisters had gone into at least eight different dress stores and April was yet to find anything she was happy with. Karen had to leave early to go and see the decorators about table settings and seat covers, taking Matthew and Parker with her.

"What about this one?" Libby asked, holding up another pink dress. "It's cute."

April sighed and shook her head. "No pink," she answered. "And it's too short."

"No it's not!" Alice told her. "You have a great body, April, you should wear something short to highlight your amazing legs."

"And I'm sure Jackson would appreciate it too," Kimmie added, giving April a playful wink.

April blushed at her words and turned her attention back to looking through a rack of dark purple dresses. "I don't know," she murmured, biting down on her lip. "I don't want to look too slutty," she told them.

"Of course you do!" Libby said, tossing an arm over April's shoulder. "Slutty is fun," she added playfully.

"Okay if you can't decide on a dress you like, why don't we try to find a dress that Jackson would like?" Alice suggested, making her way over to a selection of cocktail dresses. "What's his favorite color?"

April chewed on her bottom lip, her cheeks burning at the idea of buying a dress for Jackson's benefit. She'd never bought clothes with a guy in mind before and the thought of wearing something for Jackson made her stomach tighten. She followed her sisters over to the not-so-decent selection of party dresses, wondering if maybe she should have just settled on the ugly pink dress her mom had suggested earlier.

"He likes red," she told them, watching as her sisters pulled dresses off the rack, holding them up in front of them to get a better look.

"Oh! What about this one?" Kimmie said, grabbing a dark red dress and holding it out in front of her. "They have your size!"

April's eyes widened at the dress her sister had suggested. The dress was strapless and a deep shade of red, it looked much too short for April's taste. April tried not to cringe at the idea of trying to fit into something so revealing.

"I love it!" Alice agreed. "You have to try it on, April."

"I don't think so," April mumbled, shaking her head.

"Oh come on!" Kimmie pouted. "Jackson will _love_ it. He'll go crazy if he saw you in this dress!"

April's cheeks flushed and her stomach tightened again. She felt stupid even thinking about buying a dress for Jackson, it wasn't like he was really her boyfriend or anything.

"Fine, I'll try it," she sighed, grabbing the dress and making her way over to the change rooms.

Her sisters sat patiently on the lounge outside the change rooms, talking between themselves while they waited for April to put the dress on. April quickly stripped herself out of her clothes and hurried to pull the red dress on over her head. It was tight, tighter than anything April had ever worn before. When she finally got the dress on, April let out a breath and turned to look at herself in the mirror, her eyes widening at the sight of her reflection.

April had to admit that she looked pretty good. The dress was tight and short and it actually made her look better than she thought it would. She spun around a few times, taking in the way the dress hugged her body, showing off the curves she never even knew she had. The front of the dress revealed a small amount of cleavage, but it was still tasteful enough to wear to her parents party.

"Well?" Kimmie knocked on the door. "How does it look?"

"I think I like it," April replied, sounding surprised.

"Open the door!" Libby ordered. "We want to see."

April unlocked the door and stepped out of the dressing room. Her sisters seemed to gush at the sight of April. Alice clapped her hands in excitement and jumped up from the lounge, hurrying over to stand in front of her.

"You look incredible," Kimmie stated, a huge grin on her face.

"I think Jackson is going to find it extremely difficult to keep his hands off of you in that," Alice told her, a wicked gleam in her eyes. "He's going to love it."

April blushed and smiled. "You don't think it's too much?" she asked, running a hand over the front of the dress. "It's not too revealing?"

"I think that dress was made for you," Libby told her. "You have to buy it."

Her sisters didn't give her a chance to change her mind. While April changed back into her clothes, Libby quickly snatched the dress and hurried over to pay for it before April had a chance to object. April rolled her eyes at her sisters and followed them out of the store.

"What shoes are you going to wear?" Alice asked, after they'd exited the store.

April shrugged. "I don't know. Probably these ones." She gestured to the black flats she was wearing.

Kimmie looked mortified. "You can't be serious," she said, eyes wide. "You can't wear those!"

"Why not?" April shrugged. "These are my favorite."

"We're gonna need to buy you some heels," Alice told her, and before April had a chance to object, her sisters were dragging her across the street and into the closest shoe store, giving her no time to argue.

April had a feeling this was going to be a really long afternoon.

…

"No way!" April shook her head, her eyes wide with disbelief. "I can't wear those!"

"Stop being such a prude!" Alice argued. "They're gonna look amazing on you!"

April crossed her arms over her chest, her eyes narrowed at her sisters. "I don't need to buy new underwear," she told them. "And I definitely don't need to buy those." She gestured to the bright red bra and panties set her sisters were wanting her to buy. If you could even call them panties. April didn't think there was even enough lace to cover anything at all. What was the point in wearing underwear if they didn't cover anything?

"Oh come on, April!" Libby said. "Jackson will love them. It's his favorite color!

"No." April crossed her arms over her chest. She ignored the way her entire body flushed at the idea of wearing such revealing underwear. There was no way she would ever buy something like that. "I'm not buying them!"

"Fine," Alice replied, snatching the underwear from her sister. "Then I guess I'll just have to buy them for you." She made her way over to the register and quickly paid for them before her sister had a chance to stop her.

"I'm not going to wear them," April mumbled, following her sisters out of the store.

"Stop being so uptight," Libby told her. "You're going to look and feel amazing in those panties, April."

When they finally finished shopping, April and her sisters made their way to the restaurant to meet up with everyone else. The girls were the last to arrive for dinner. Jackson was seated next to Zack and the two guys were making conversation about the latest football scores.

"Hey," April greeted, sliding into the vacant chair next to Jackson.

He turned to look at her as she sat down beside him, flashing her one of his sexy smiles that made her heart flutter a little. "Hey," he replied. "I ordered you a gin and tonic," he said, pointing to the glass sitting in front of her. "I thought you might want a drink?"

April smiled, surprised that he'd remembered what drink she liked. "Thanks." Truthfully, after the day she'd had April was more than eager to have a drink or two. There was only so many hours of shopping with her sisters that April could handle in one day.

"Did you have a nice day?" Jackson asked her.

April nodded. "Yeah, it was great."

They didn't get a chance to say anything else before Alice sat down across from them at the table, interrupting their conversation. "Jackson, you should see what April bought you today!" she said, giving April a playful wink. "You're going to _love_ it!"

April's eyes went wide and her entire body flushed with embarrassment. She looked down at her hands, her cheeks burning. She quickly took another drink from her gin and tonic, praying her sister would shut up and leave them alone.

"Oh really?" Jackson asked, turning to look at April, his brow cocked with interest.

"Oh yes," Alice went on, a teasing tone to her voice. "I'll give you a clue," she murmured, leaning across the table. "It's red...and it's lacy." She giggled loudly before getting up from her chair and making her way over to get a drink from the bar.

April's skin felt like it was on fire and her stomach twisted into a tight knot of embarrassment. Jackson chuckled beside her, an amused smirk on his all-too-pretty face.

"It's-it's not what you think," April whispered, moving awkwardly in her seat. "They made me buy it," she added, trying to fix the awkward situation.

Jackson was looking at her, his mouth curled in amusement and his eyes narrowed playfully. "What did you buy?" he asked, his voice filled with curiosity.

She quickly grabbed her glass and took a long drink, finishing what was left. "I-I think I might go get another drink," she said, jumping up from her seat. "I'll be right back." April didn't think before quickly fleeing the table, eager to put an end to the very uncomfortable conversation.

By the time she returned to the table a young waitress had come to take everyone's order. April quickly sat back down next to Jackson, opening her menu and looking at the meal options. April wasn't feeling very hungry so she settled on a small salad. Jackson ordered himself a serving of the steak before moving closer to her, resting his arm over her shoulders.

She tried not to stiffen at his sudden closeness, reminding herself that he was only keeping up with their act. April was only on her second drink for the night but already the alcohol had helped her to relax a little. She inhaled a deep breath, letting herself rest against him. He was so close to her now. She could smell the aftershave he used and feel the warmth of his skin through the fabric of his shirt.

"Is this okay?" he murmured, his voice quiet enough so only she could hear him. His fingers began to move along her shoulder, gently stroking her arm. She felt her skin prickle under his soft touch and she found herself enjoying his closeness more than she probably should have.

April nodded and turned her head to meet his gaze. She was surprised by how close Jackson's face was to hers, she could feel his breath against her skin and his lips were only a few inches away from her own. "It's okay," she murmured, her voice breaking as he gazed down at her.

It didn't take long for their meals to arrive. Everyone made small talk while they ate, listening to Karen talk about the new table settings and seat covers she'd organized for the anniversary party.

"Could we please have everyone's attention?" Kimmie asked, after everyone had finished eating. "Carl and I have an announcement we'd like to make." April's sister held a glass of champagne in her hand as she got to her feet.

"What is it dear?" her mother asked, her voice hitched with excitement.

Kimmie grinned at her family. "We've been waiting for the perfect time to tell everyone," she started, looking over at Carl who was smiling up at her. "I know it seems a little soon but when something feels right then I think you should go for it," she paused, reaching over to place her hand on Carl's shoulder. "Carl asked me to marry him and I said yes!" she said, quickly holding up her left hand so everyone could see the huge engagement ring on her middle finger. "We're getting married!"

April's mouth fell open in shock. She watched as everyone at the table quickly jumped up to congratulate the young couple. April's mom looked so happy, the older woman had tears of joy in her eyes as she hurried to pull her youngest daughter into a tight hug.

April was stunned into silence. She couldn't believe her youngest sister was actually getting married. April knew it was a selfish, but she couldn't help but feel a little envious of her sister. Now April was the only Kepner who hadn't yet found a husband and she couldn't help but panic a little at the idea. She'd never worried about it before, April had always thought that college and work took priority over boys and having any kind of love life. But now she was almost thirty years old and she was still a virgin and her youngest sister was getting married and all of a sudden April could picture herself growing old alone and the thought scared her more than anything. Her chest went tight with the sudden realization that she was probably doomed to be alone forever.

"Congratulations," she said, smiling at her sister and suppressing the sudden urge to cry.

She tried to shake the unpleasant thoughts out of her mind and went to stand up so she could give Kimmie a hug and congratulate her on her happy news. However, as April went to get up from her chair, she accidentally knocked Jackson's glass of red wine all over the front of her dress. She gasped as the red wine went all over her, feeling like a complete idiot. Jackson quickly jumped up, grabbing a napkin and using to to try and dry the front of her dress. Thankfully, no one else at the table seemed to notice as April started to have a minor panic attack, her eyes filling with tears as she looked down at the mess she'd made of her dress.

"I'm sorry," April whispered and she didn't say anything else before she turned and quickly fled the table, eager to have a moment to herself to try and gather her thoughts.

April ran straight into the girls bathroom. After making sure the bathroom was empty, she locked the door and went over to the sink to look at her reflection in the bathroom mirror. April's dress was saturated in red wine and her eyes were filled with unwanted tears. She looked terrible and April didn't hesitate before quickly splashing some cold water on the front of her dress to try and clean the ugly red stain off her dress. She grabbed some paper towel and tried to dry the fabric, cursing herself under her breath.

April couldn't believe how selfish and immature she was being. She should be out there congratulating her youngest sister. She should be happy for her and Carl. But instead she was locked in the girls bathroom trying to clean wine off herself while she had a small breakdown over the fact that she was probably destined to be a lonely old virgin for the rest of her life.

There was a quiet knock on the bathroom door. "April?" Jackson's voice sounded from the other side of the door. "You in there?"

"Just a second!" she called back, wiping the tears off her cheeks. "I'll be out in a minute."

"Let me in."

"I'm fine," she replied. "It's just a little wine stain. It's nothing."

He knocked on the door again. "Open the door, April."

She sighed, knowing Jackson wouldn't give up until she let him in. She wiped her eyes again before going over and unlocking the door. "What are you doing?" she asked, stepping back as he came inside. "It's the girls bathroom. You're not allowed in here!"

He ignored her, turning to lock the door behind him. "Are you okay?" he asked, his eyes filled with concern as he looked down at her.

She swallowed the lump in her throat and went over to the sink. "I'm fine," she lied. "I'm just upset. This is my favorite dress and now it's ruined."

He stood behind her at the sink, watching as she focused all of her attention on trying to get the wine off her dress. It was pointless, there was no way a little bit of water and some paper towel could clean that up. He wasn't going to say that to her though, not while she was obviously so upset about something else.

"April," he murmured, concerned about her. "What's wrong?" He could see that she'd been crying and he found himself wanting to make her feel better. He hated the idea of her being upset.

She refused to make eye contact with him. "I'm fine," she repeated. "It's just a stain, Jackson. I can buy a new dress. It's really no big deal."

"Look at me."

She shook her head. "No."

Jackson furrowed his brow in confusion, reaching out to touch her. "April." He urged her to turn around, wanting to make eye contact. "Look at me."

She finally looked up at him, her eyes filling with more tears. "I'm a horrible person," she murmured, her shoulders shaking as she began to cry.

He didn't think before pulling her into his arms, holding her tight against him. "What's wrong?" he asked, her arms wrapping tightly around him as she buried her face into his shirt.

"I'm going to be alone forever," she sobbed. "I'm never going to find anyone and I'm never going to have sex. I'm going to die a virgin! Can you imagine how terrible that's going to be?" She stepped back, looking up at him. "I'm never going to have sex, Jackson! And my sisters are going to all be married and they're going to have kids and they're going to live perfect lives with perfect husbands and I'm going to be a lonely old virgin!"

He looked down at her, surprised that she'd gotten so worked up over this. "You're not going to die a virgin," he told her, placing his hands on both her shoulders to try and calm her down. "You're not going to be alone, April."

She shook her head, wiping her eyes. "You don't know that."

"I do know that," he murmured, giving her a smile. "You're amazing, April. You're beautiful and kind and you're the most wonderful person I know." It wasn't a lie. She was all of those things and so much more. He wished April could see herself the way he saw her. He didn't understand how someone as beautiful as her could think so little of herself. "And the guy that gets to marry you is going to be the luckiest guy in the world."

She looked up at him, shocked that he'd said those things. "You don't really mean that," she said. "You're just saying that because your my friend and it's your job to make me feel better about myself."

"Do you really think I would lie to you?" he asked, raising his brow in question.

They had a moment of silence as she gazed up at him, her damp eyes wide with wonder. She really was beautiful and he didn't understand how she could be so insecure about herself. Her eyes were damp with tears and her cheeks were flushed from crying. Without thinking, Jackson leaned down and planted a soft kiss on her cheek. He couldn't stop himself.

She inhaled a sharp breath as soon as his lips made contact with her skin. April's eyes fluttered closed and before either of them knew what to expect, April turned her face towards his and their lips brushed together in the lightest of kisses. He pulled back a little in shock. April opened her eyes to meet his gaze and they both shared a breath, their lips only an inch apart.

"I'm sorry," she whispered, her eyes locked with his.

His breath hitched and he suppressed the urge to touch her, to kiss her. "Don't be." He watched as her gaze flickered down to his mouth and back to his eyes.

Jackson couldn't stop himself. He wanted to kiss her more than he wanted anything else. His hands went to her waist, pulling her closer so April's body was flush with his. Her eyes widened in surprise as Jackson closed the distance between them, his mouth landing over hers. The groan that sounded from the back of her throat only fueled Jackson's need for her, his mouth moving hungrily over her own. She whimpered in response, her hands moving to the back of his neck, grabbing the collar of his shirt and tugging him closer.

His hands gripped down tightly on her waist as she tilted her head back for him, letting him deepen the kiss. He pushed her backwards, pinning her between him and the bathroom wall. His entire body was taken over with the urge to claim her, to consume her completely. His sudden need for her was more than overwhelming.

This kiss was so much better than the one they had shared the night before. It was filled with nothing but honesty and need and it was everything he'd ever wanted. His mouth moved hungrily over hers as his tongue slipped between her lips, eager to taste as much of her as possible. They both groaned as his tongue found hers and he couldn't control the shudder that ran through him when she bit down on his bottom lip, pulling his lip between her teeth.

"God," he groaned, feeling his cock twitch inside his pants. He couldn't believe how good she was at this.

"I want you," she murmured, her hands moving down his back. She looked up at him, her eyes dark with lust and her lips swollen and bruised from their kiss. "Please, Jackson."

God she was so beautiful and it took every ounce of willpower he had within himself not to fuck her right there in the middle of the girls bathroom. There was no way he could do that to her. April deserved so much more than a quick fuck up against a bathroom wall.

He kissed her again before pulling back. "No," he murmured, resting his forehead agaist hers. "We can't."

Her eyes flew open and a look of rejection passed across her face. She was thoughtful for a moment before she seemed to snap back to reality and she quickly pushed him off of her. "I'm sorry," she whispered, running her fingers through her hair to try and flatten it out. "I-I thought you wanted me too." She went to step away from him. "I'm sorry," she repeated.

"Don't apologize." His grip on her waist tightened, keeping her from moving away. "I just..." Jackson stepped back again, needing to give them both some space. "We can't do this here," he told her, running a hand across the back of his neck. "Not like this."

April nodded in understanding and her heart felt as though it was hammering inside her chest. She couldn't believe that she'd been ready to have her way with Jackson right there in the middle of a public bathroom. She felt as though her body was acting on auto-pilot, her brain completely switched off from the rest of her body. The only thing she knew was that kissing Jackson had felt amazing and she found herself wanting to do it again.

Her sudden need for him was frightening.

"Your family will be wondering where we are," he told her, giving April a soft smile. "We should go back before one of your sisters comes looking for us."

"Yeah," she murmured, finding it hard to form coherent words. April took a quick look at her reflection in the mirror and her eyes widened at the sight of herself. Her hair was a mess and her lips were bruised and swollen from their kiss. Her skin was flushed and the wine had completely soaked into her dress, leaving a horrible dark red stain on the fabric.

April pulled her eyes away from the mirror while Jackson went over to unlock the bathroom door. She quickly buttoned up her cardigan in an attempt to cover the stain and quietly followed Jackson out of the bathroom and back to their table, neither of them saying a word.

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**AN: **So...what did we think? Japril is seriously gettin' their thing on now...yay! Hopefully you guys don't think it's too rushed or anything...I'm hoping to have this story finished in under 10 chapters so the whole thing isn't going to be all that long...  
I'm having so much fun writing this story and I love hearing any ideas/suggestions you might like to see happen...so feel free to share them with me and I'll probably even use them ;)

And remember, reviews are love.


	5. Kiss Me

_AN: Hello beautiful people! Have I ever mentioned how much I simply adore you all? Because I do! You guys are amazing and your reviews and feedback make me squeal with so much excitement! _

_I'm so sorry for the long delay in chapters. A friend of mine died suddenly and unexpectantly and_ _I lost a lot of motivation to write. The past couple of weeks have been pretty messed up for me and my friends but somehow I managed to find some muse to get this chapter finished and posted! It's not a very long update but at least it's something and I promise I've started working on the next one and it shouldn't take me too long to get finished :)_

Okay so enough rambling from me...here is the fifth instalement of Everything Has Changed and I hope you enjoy :)

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**Chapter 5: **_Kiss me_

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"Can we please go home soon?" April asked, pulling her cardigan tighter around herself to try and fight off some of the cold night air. "It's cold," she complained. "And I stink of red wine."

"Stop complaining," Alice told her. "We're going to have a great night and no one can see the wine stain. You look fine."

April sighed, obviously her idea of a good night and her sisters idea were miles apart. Libby and Alice had decided that it would be a great idea for everyone to go to a nightclub after dinner as a way for them to celebrate Kimmie and Carl's engagement. April's parents had offered to take Matt and Parker home so Libby and Jeremy could go out and enjoy themselves as well. Which is why they were all standing in line now, waiting for for their turn to go inside the club.

"Here, take this." Jackson removed his coat and gently placed it over her shoulders.

April shook her head and quickly went to pass it back to him. "But then you'll get cold," she argued.

"I'll be fine," he assured her. "You keep it."

April had to admit that she was a lot warmer now. She shivered and pulled his coat tighter around herself, enjoying the his warmth that still clung to the inside the jacket. She thanked Jackson, giving him a shy smile and pressing her nose into the collar of his coat. His smell lingered on the fabric and it was almost intoxicating. His eyes seemed to darken as he looked down at her. It reminded April of the way he'd been looking at her in the bathroom earlier. Her entire body flushed at the memory and she suppressed the urge to look away.

"Do you two need to get a room or something?" Alice asked, clearing her throat and looking between Jackson and April. "Because it looks like you guys are about to jump each other right here on the sidewalk."

April blushed a brilliant shade of red and she turned to glare at her sister. "Alice!" she snapped. This thing, whatever it was, between her and Jackson was already awkward enough without her sister having to make it all so much worse.

Alice laughed at the look on her sisters face. "Relax," she chuckled. "I'm just kidding." Thankfully, Alice didn't get a chance to embarrass her further before the line started moving and they slowly made their way up to the door. They waited in line for another ten minutes before the bouncer finally let them inside the club.

The club was loud and busy and the music was terrible. April would never understand how people actually enjoyed coming to these sort of places. She followed the rest of her group over to the bar where they all got drinks before going to find an empty lounge on the upper floor of the club. April removed Jackson's coat before she sat down, thanking him again before taking a seat between him and Libby on one of the small lounges.

"To Kimmie and Carl!" Libby said, holding up her glass of water for a toast. Everyone cheered and tapped their glasses together before taking a drink. April cringed at the potent cocktail Alice had bought for her, it tasted as though there was at least half a bottle of vodka inside her cocktail.

Jackson had decided he wasn't going to drink, since he had to drive him and April back to the farm tonight. He sat pressed against April on the small lounge, watching as she forced herself to drink the cocktail her sisters had given her. He smiled at the way her nose crinkled in distaste every time she took a sip from the glass. It was obvious that she didn't like it very much.

Truthfully, Jackson hadn't been all that excited about going out clubbing. He would have much preferred to spend some time alone with April so they could talk about what had happened in the bathroom earlier. He knew that they would have to talk about it soon, before April had a chance to freak out about it. He took a sip from his glass of soda, watching as April interacted with her sisters, forcing back the cocktail she obviously wasn't enjoying.

April finished her drink and leaned forward to put her empty glass on the coffee table in front of them. "That was awful," she said, talking loudly so she could be heard over the music. "They should not be allowed to sell that stuff."

"Lets get another!" Alice said, jumping up and pulling Kimmie and April to their feet. April didn't get a chance to argue before Alice was leading them back downstairs for more drinks. Zack and Carl waited a moment before they quickly followed them, eager for another round.

"I have a feeling they're going to be completely hammered by the time we go home," Libby stated, clutching her glass of water.

Jackson watched them leave and turned to smile at Libby. He nodded in agreement, knowing it wouldn't take long for April to get drunk. His best friend wasn't used to drinking that much and if they kept having those potent cocktails then she'd probably be passed out on the floor within the hour.

Half an hour later and April and her sisters still hadn't come back upstairs. Jackson had a perfect view of the dance floor from where he was seated and he could see that April and the others had slowly made their way over to dance in the middle of the huge crowd. He couldn't help but smile as April danced with her sisters, it was obvious that she was already feeling a little tipsy. He took a sip from his glass of soda, watching as April moved a little too suggestively with Alice and Kimmie.

"You really like her, don't you?" Libby asked, seated next to Jeremy on the lounge. Jackson turned to look at the eldest sister, surprised to see that she'd been watching him.

He nodded in response and looked down at the glass in his hand. "I do," he admitted and it was the truth. Jackson liked April, he liked her more than he ever thought he would. He had no idea where these feelings towards his best friend had come from, but in less than three days it seemed that everything between him and April had changed.

Libby continued to watch him. "April's lucky to have you," she murmured. "She deserves to be happy."

Jackson smiled and turned to look back down at the dance floor. "I'm lucky to have her," he murmured, mostly to himself.

April knew that she'd had too much to drink. She could feel the effects of the alcohol as it made its way through her system. April's head was a little foggy and the room felt as though it was spinning around her, a sign that she should probably stop drinking now.

"I'm going to go use the bathroom," April said, talking loudly in Alice's ear. "I'll be right back."

Alice nodded. "Do you want me to go with you?" she yelled.

April shook her head. "I'll be okay." She gave her sister a smile before walking through the large crowd of people and towards the bathroom at the back of the club. She was forced to wait in line for so long that she was worried she might pee herself. When she had finally finished in the restrooms, April made her way over to the bar to get herself a glass of water.

April was waiting in line to be served when a man approached her. He looked to be in his late forties with bad breath that smelled heavily like scotch. "Hey baby," he greeted, sliding in beside her at the bar. "Wanna dance?" He gave her a sleazy smile and reached out to stroke her arm.

April shook her head and pulled her arm away from him. "No thanks," she said, trying her hardest to be polite.

"Oh come on," he prodded, stepping even closer and closing whatever distance had been left between them. "It's only a dace. I promise you'll enjoy it." He placed his hand over her shoulder, his lips almost touching her ear.

She stiffened and swallowed back the bile that rose in her throat. "I'm not interested," she told him, turning away. She went to walk away from him, eager to get back to her sisters.

"Hey!" he snapped, reaching out to grab April's shoulder. "Where do you think you're going?" he asked, gripping April's shoulder tightly. He came to stand behind her, his other hand holding her waist so she couldn't move. "We haven't had our dance yet."

He was pressed against her back and April could feel herself beginning to panic. "Let me go!" she ordered, trying to squirm out of his grip. "I'm not interested!"

"I haven't been able to keep my eyes off of you all night," he murmured, his voice slurred in her ear. "Watching you dance made me so fucking hard." He pulled her back against him, his mouth going to her neck. "We're going to have so much fun together."

April felt trapped and cornered. The whole room was spinning around her and she was finding it hard to comprehend what was happening. She tried to pull herself free from the drunk that was holding her, eager to put as much distance between them as possible. Her stomach turned uncomfortably and April found herself wishing she could sit down for a minute or two so she could try and gather her thoughts.

"Let her go," a familiar voice sounded from somewhere behind April. Her eyes opened as she recognized the voice of her best friend. She lifted her head and she could have smiled at the sight of Jackson. She'd never been so happy to see him.

The drunk guy was still holding her, his grip tight. The stranger looked over at Jackson and laughed. "Piss off," he said, his words slurred from all the scotch he'd been drinking. "This ones mine, go find your own."

April's eyes narrowed at his comment but she didn't get a chance to say anything before Jackson had moved closer, his face only an inch away from the stranger holding her. "I'm not going to ask you again," he murmured, his voice colder than ice. "Let her go."

The grip around her loosened a little and April was able to quickly stumble away. She looked up at Jackson, shocked to see how angry he was. His jaw was clenched and his hands were balled into tight fists.

"Is everything okay?" Carl asked, coming to stand at Jackson's side. "What's going on?"

"Everything's fine," April said, stepping closer to Jackson. "We were just about to leave."

The drunk laughed. "Forget it," he said, shaking his head. "You can have the little bitch. She's not worth it." He went to turn away, but Jackson reacted before anyone had a chance to respond. April's eyes widened in shock when Jackson pulled his arm back and planted a hard punch right in the middle of the guys face. April gasped at the sound of his fist connecting with the strangers nose and she quickly stepped away, her eyes wide with shock.

The drunk sleaze fell to the floor, holding his bloody nose in both his hands. Jackson went to punch him again, but Carl grabbed him and quickly pulled him away before he had the chance. "Don't do it," he said, urging Jackson to walk away. "It's not worth it, dude."

April relaxed a little when they were away from the bar and Jackson seemed to calm down almost instantly. Carl's grip on him loosened and Jackson turned to look at April, a look of concern on his face. "Are you okay?" he asked, reaching out to cup her face in both his hands. "Did he hurt you?"

April was surprised that Jackson had gone from being so angry one second to so calm and gentle the next. "I'm fine," she replied, her heart hammering inside her ribcage. "I think we should go home. It's late and I'm really tired."

"That's probably a good idea," Carl agreed.

Jackson nodded and turned to look at Carl. "Can you tell the others that I'm taking April home?"

"Sure." Kimmie's fiance smiled and turned to look at April. "You sure you're okay?" he asked, worried about her.

April nodded, returning his smile. "I'm fine. Honestly."

It didn't take them long to make their way out of the club. Jackson took hold of April's hand as he guided her through the crowd of dancers and out the door. April followed him without saying anything, her brain a little foggy from the alcohol she'd consumed.

He led her out of the club and down the street to where their hire car was parked. After helping April into the passenger seat, Jackson hurried around to the drivers side and got in behind the wheel. April watched Jackson as he started the car and pulled out of the parking space, neither of them saying a word until they were on the highway and heading towards Moline.

"I-I think I had too much to drink," April mumbled, closing her eyes and trying to ignore the uncomfortable feeling in her stomach. Her head felt as though it was spinning and her mind was a little jumbled.

He smiled at her and nodded. "Yeah," he agreed, glancing over at her. "You sure you're okay?" he asked, worried.

Jackson was still trying to calm himself down from the incident back at the bar. He knew that he probably shouldn't have punched that asshole, but he hadn't been able to control himself. The rage he'd felt when he saw that sleaze put his hands on April was overwhelming and he couldn't stop himself from reacting. He hated the idea of anyone touching her, the thought made his stomach tighten in a way he'd never experienced before and the word _mine _flashed behind his eyes for a second before he scolded himself for being so possessive.

"I'm okay," she breathed, relaxing back into her seat. "How's your hand?" she asked, concerned.

He shrugged. "It's fine." Truthfully, his hand was still throbbing a little. He'd put a lot of force behind the punch and he knew that his knuckles would probably be bruised tomorrow. Jackson didn't care. He would have gladly punched that asshole again had Carl not pulled him away.

"You probably shouldn't have punched that guy," April told him, her words slurred from the cocktails she'd drunk earlier. "You could have gotten into lots of trouble, Jackson."

"He deserved it."

April sighed and closed her eyes, resting her head against the window beside her. Jackson smiled as she slipped into a light sleep, her breathing slowing down as her body relaxed against the door beside her.

April slept for the rest of the car drive to Moline. When Jackson pulled up outside the Kepner farmhouse, he switched the car off and turned to look at his best friend. She was snoring softly and her hair had fallen down over her face. She looked so young and innocent and he couldn't stop himself from reaching out to touch her. His hand brushed against her cheek as he gently moved her hair out of her eyes.

April stirred at his touch, her eyes slowly fluttering open to meet his. "Jackson," she breathed, her voice a soft murmur.

"We're home."

She gazed up at him, her bright blue eyes locked with his. "You're really pretty," she pointed out, her comment surprising him. A playful giggle sounded from her lips as she sat up straighter in the passenger seat.

"And you're really drunk." He chuckled, reaching over to help her with her seat belt.

"I like kissing you," she added, her eyes twinkling with mischief. "Y-you're a really good kisser."

He smiled at her, trying not to laugh at how adorable she was when she was drunk. "I like kissing you too," he replied, a smirk on his face."Come on, lets get you inside." He went to get out of the car, but April grabbed him before he had a chance to leave. She all but threw herself at him, her mouth landing over his in a sloppy, drunk kiss that caused Jackson to stiffen in surprise.

He pulled back almost instantly. "You're drunk," he told her. "I'm not kissing you while you're drunk."

She pouted. "But I want to kiss you," she argued, her face only an inch away from his. "And I'm barely even drunk."

He gave her a soft smile and ran his hand through her hair, tucking a few loose strands back behind her ear. "No," he told her. "I'm not taking advantage of you, April."

She huffed in frustration. "But I want this," she told him. "It's just a kiss, Jackson."

He went to get out of the car, eager to put as much distance between them as possible. His willpower could only take so much before he knew it would crumble and he'd give in to her. Saying no to April was hard and Jackson knew that if he stayed in the car with her any longer he might loose all self control.

He quickly got out and went around to open April's door. She looked up at him, an annoyed expression on her face. "I'm not that drunk," she pointed out, her eyes narrowed. "You wouldn't be taking advantage of me."

"Lets go inside," he said, holding his hand out for her to take. "It's late."

She sighed and allowed him to help her out of the car. After making sure the car was locked, Jackson wrapped an arm around April's waist and helped her inside. The house was dark and silent when they walked in, indicating that April's parents were probably in bed asleep. Jackson whispered for April to go quiet as he lead her upstairs and into her room.

Walking into her bedroom, Jackson gently closed the door behind them and watched as April went over and sat on the edge of her bed. "Do you regret kissing me?" she asked, looking up at him with big doe eyes. "Is that what this is about? Because it's okay if you do. I can handle rejection."

He shook his head, suppressing the urge to laugh. How could she even think that? April really had no idea the effect she had over him. "Of course not," he murmured. "And we're not having this conversation while you're drunk. You need to get some sleep and we'll talk about it tomorrow."

April huffed and got up from the bed. She went over and found her nightgown before locking herself inside the bathroom. Jackson let out a breath he hadn't known he'd been holding. He was thankful to have a moment to himself to try and gather his thoughts.

April took a shower to try and clear the drunk haze out of her mind. The shower was heavenly and her entire body instantly relaxed under the warm stream of water. She took her time washing her hair and shaving her legs, humming a tune to herself while she showered. She smiled to herself when she noticed Jackson's body wash sitting on the ledge of the shower. April didn't think before she grabbed the bottle and removed the lid, bringing it to her nose and inhaling the spicy, masculine scent. It smelled heavenly, almost exactly like her best friend. April didn't hesitate before pouring some of it into her hand and using it on herself. Using Jackson's body wash seemed very intimate and it made something flutter deep inside April's belly.

She felt much better after she'd dressed into her nightgown. She dried her hair and brushed her teeth before heading back into the bedroom. Jackson was getting ready for bed. He turned to look as April exited the bathroom, flashing her a smile.

They didn't say anything as April climbed into bed, fluffing her pillow to get comfortable. Jackson grabbed his sleep clothes out of his bag and excused himself to use the bathroom. April's eyes fluttered closed almost as soon as her head hit the pillow. A sigh of contentment fell from her lips and she couldn't stop herself from drifting off to sleep. The alcohol had made her drowsy and her eyelids were heavy with exhaustion. It had been a long day and she welcomed sleep gladly.

It didn't take Jackson long to get ready for bed. After changing into a pair of sleep pants and a shirt, he walked quietly back into the bedroom, surprised to see that April was already passed out in bed. He moved quietly around the room, careful not to wake her. After packing his things back into his bag, Jackson turned the light off and gently climbed into bed.

She was sound asleep. April's head was resting on the corner of Jackson's pillow, her red hair sprawled out around her. The moonlight shone through the window, highlighting April's soft features. She looked so beautiful and peaceful and Jackson couldn't help but smile at the sight of her. He lay on his back, looking up at the dark ceiling above the bed. He folded his arms behind his head and began to process everything that had happened tonight.

He'd kissed April Kepner.

The thought made something stir inside of him. He'd never thought of April as anything more than a friend, he'd never thought she'd ever want to be with someone like himself. The feelings he'd suddenly developed for his best friend were both surprising and confusing and he had no idea what any of it meant. He hadn't been able to stop himself from kissing her earlier, the need for her had been shocking and he'd acted entirely on impulse. Three days ago April had been his shy, virginal best friend, the one person that Jackson had never even considered as anything more.

But now everything was different. Now they'd made out in a public restroom and Jackson found himself wanting to make out with her again. She was intoxicating and he wanted her. All of her. A thought that made him hate himself to no end.

She deserved so much better than him. She deserved someone good and kind and someone who didn't fantasize about fucking her against a bathroom wall. She'd spent her entire life waiting for the perfect man and tonight she'd been ready to throw it all away for someone like him. Jackson closed his eyes, his stomach clenching with both guilt and desire.


	6. All Shook Up

**AN: **So sorry for the delay...took me a while to get this chapter finished and even now I'm not really sure if im 100% happy with it...so make sure you let me know what you think! :)

Also, thank you guys sooooooo much for all your amazing reviews. You're all the greatest! Reading your feedback actually gives me more motivation to write so thanks so much, you're amazing!

**Now I just want to take a moment to say that I've decided that the April in my fic isn't going to be quite so religious. I know it's out of character from the show but I didn't like it on Greys so i've decided to go my own way on that...I'm not against it or anything but I sorta feel like it was just thrown on there as a last minute idea and yeah...so my April isn't a virgin because of Jesus, she's a virgin because she's a little insecure and because she has never found the right person to be with. Hope everyone is okay with that...**

Anyways enough chatter from me...here's the next chapter...please enjoy and let me know you're thoughts!

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**Chapter 6:** All Shook Up

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_My tongue gets tied when I try to speak _  
_My insides shake like a leaf on a tree _  
_There's only one cure for this body of mine _  
_That's to have the girl that I love so fine_

April woke early the following morning feeling worse than she had done in a long time. She pried her eyes open, squinting at the bright stream of sunlight that shone through her bedroom window. Her head pounded and her stomach turned uncomfortably, a reminder of how much she'd had to drink last night. She clamped her eyes closed as all the memories from the previous night came rushing back to her, causing her stomach to drop with both dread and embarrassment.

The alcohol had done nothing to make her forget the very eventful evening she'd had and she instantly found herself wishing that the whole night had been some kind of weird, bizarre dream. Her eyes flew open and April turned to look at the man asleep beside her. Jackson was sound asleep, his face only a few inches away from hers. April was shocked to see that she'd been taking up most of the bed, her head resting on the very edge of Jackson's pillow.

She quickly moved away from him, eager to put some space between them. Her head continued to throb uncomfortably as April rolled onto her back, covering her face with her arm. She hadn't felt this bad in a very long time. Her head felt as though it had been ran over by a truck and she could taste the horrible flavor of stale vodka that lingered in her mouth, a vicious reminder of how terrible the cocktails had been.

April couldn't believe the way she'd acted last night, how she threw herself at Jackson in the car after they'd been to the nightclub. April's cheeks burned at the memory and she found herself wishing she could crawl into a deep hole and never come out. She had completely humiliated herself in front of him and now everything was going to be so much more awkward and weird between them! How did she always manage to get herself into these embarrassing situations?

She peeled her eyes open and looked over at her best friend. He was sleeping peacefully and April couldn't help but enjoy the idea of waking up beside him like this and she found herself liking it more than she probably should have. He looked a little out of place in her room. Jackson's masculine features seemed to clash with all the bright pink colors that filled her childhood bedroom. The purple comforter and the matching pillows seemed almost comical in comparison to Jackson's tanned skin and his stubble covered jawline.

April pulled her eyes away from him and forced herself out of bed. She went over to her bag and found some clothes to wear before locking herself inside the bathroom and taking a long, hot shower to try and rid herself of her horrible hangover. She took her time in the bathroom, drying her hair and brushing her teeth. After she got dressed into a pair of denim jeans and a dark blue sweater, April made her way downstairs to get some much needed coffee.

-o0o-

Jackson woke a while later, surprised to see that he'd slept in so late. He wasted no time getting out of bed and using the bathroom. After taking a quick shower, Jackson pulled on a pair of black jeans, a shirt and a pair of running shoes before making his way down to the kitchen. Karen was in the kitchen. She was standing at the stove, humming quietly to herself while she cooked.

"Hey," he greeted, going over to help himself to some coffee.

Karen smiled at the sight of Jackson. "April's outside with her father," she told him. "She's helping him with the pigs."

Jackson nodded in response and grabbed a hot mug of coffee. He helped himself to some toast and quickly downed his drink before excusing himself and making his way outside to find April. It was a beautiful day. The sun was beginning to get high in the sky and there were barely any clouds in sight. Jackson smiled as Buddy came running over to him, yapping playfully before running off in the direction of the barn.

It didn't take Jackson long to find April. Joe was inside the barn working on his tractor, while April was out in the yard, busy trying to corner one of the pigs who was refusing to be caught. It was obvious that April was growing impatient. She threw her arms up in the air, her face screwed up in frustration.

"He doesn't like you very much," Jackson commented, teasingly. He leaned against the rail of the yard, a smirk on his face.

April spun around to look at him. "The feelings mutual," she mumbled, wiping her dirty hands on the front of her jeans.

"What are you doing?" he asked her, watching as she resumed the task of trying to corner the pig.

"The truck is coming to take some of the pigs to market," April explained, following the pig around the small yard.

Jackson watched as April went to make another grab for the pig, missing by only an inch. The pig squealed and quickly made a run for it, causing April to tumble over, landing on her knees in the middle of the muddy yard.

Jackson couldn't help but laugh at the sight of her covered in mud. April narrowed her eyes and growled in both anger and frustration, grabbing a handful of mud and throwing it in the pigs direction. April felt her cheeks turn red in embarrassment and she hated that Jackson had seen her fall over like that.

"Are you okay?" Jackson asked, his voice dripping with amusement.

April sighed and turned to glare at her friend. "Do I look like I'm okay?" she asked, huffing with annoyance. "Can you please help me up?"

Jackson laughed, causing April to feel even worse. She watched as he leapt effortlessly over the fence and came over to help her. "I wish I had my camera for this," he commented, holding his hand out for her to take.

April smiled a devilish smile and gently took hold of his hand. Jackson went to pull her up and gasped in surprise when he ended up with a handful of mud all over his face. His eyes were wide with disbelief and he looked at April in outrage, shocked at what she'd just done.

"There," she said, proudly. "Now you know how it feels." She went to walk away, laughing under her breath.

Her laugh soon turned into a scream when she felt two strong arms go around her waist, picking her up and tackling her to the ground. April landed underneath him, a squeal of shock escaping her mouth. Jackson knelt above her, laughing hard as he grabbed a handful of mud and splattered it all over the front of April's sweater.

"Jackson!" she squealed.

He smiled down at her, his eyes crinkled with excitement. "What?" he asked, innocently.

She narrowed her eyes and didn't think before reaching up and placing a handful of thick mud on the very top of Jackson's head. She giggled at the sight of him, watching as the mud slowly dripped down over his face. "That suits you," she joked, giggling under her breath.

He wiped his face clean using the hem of his shirt and glared down at April, his eyes filled with a playfulness April had never seen in him before. She looked up at him, a huge grin plastered across her face and it wasn't until then that she became aware of just how close Jackson was. He was basically sitting on her, his legs pinning her down while she attempted to squirm free. Jackson's face was hovering above hers and his hands were on her waist, stopping her from moving away.

The atmosphere between them seemed to change almost instantly. The expression on Jackson's face went from playful to serious in less than a second, his green eyes turning a shade of black. April's breath caught in her throat as her skin prickled, the look on his face making something stir deep inside of her. She felt the air leave her lungs and the only thing she could focus on was his lips and how badly she wanted to kiss them again.

"April!" Joe called out from inside the barn, startling them from their moment. Jackson cleared his throat and quickly went to get off of her, offering April his hand to help her up. She seemed to snap back to reality, shaking herself from her thoughts and allowing Jackson pull her to her feet. Neither of them had a chance to say anything before Joe came walking out of the barn, wiping his grease covered hands on an old towel.

"What happened here?" Joe asked, laughing at the sight of Jackson and April covered in mud.

April blushed and bit down on her lip. "Jackson was helping me catch the pig," she replied, flashing her dad a smile.

Joe cocked a brow, looking over at the pig who was still yet to be caught. "Doesn't look like you had much luck," he pointed out. "Why don't you two go inside and get cleaned up and I'll finish up here?" he offered, shaking his head in amusement.

April nodded and thanked her dad before quickly exiting the yard, Jackson following her. They made their way back to the house in silence, the tension between them more than a little awkward. April had absolutely no idea what she was supposed to say to him. So much had changed between them during the past 24 hours and they had a lot of stuff they needed to talk about. Like the kiss they'd shared last night, an awkward conversation April wished they could try to avoid.

"Make sure you take your shoes off," April instructed, once they made it back to the house. "Mom will probably murder you if you get mud on her carpet." She flashed him a smile while quickly removing her mud covered boots.

They'd just stepped into the house when Libby came walking out of the kitchen, carrying Matthew in her arms. She stopped when she saw Jackson and April, her mouth falling open in surprise at the sight of them. "What the hell happened to you two?" she asked, a smile spreading across her face.

April cleared her throat. "Jackson was helping me with the pigs," she stated, awkwardly.

Libby laughed, lifting her brow in question. "And how did that go?"

"Ah, not very well," Jackson replied, running a hand over the back of his neck.

"Well you should both get cleaned up before mom sees you," Libby warned. "She'll have a heart attack if she saw how much mud you were bringing into the house."

As if on queue, Karen rounded the corner, gasping in surprise when she saw the state they were both in. "What in heavens name happened?" she asked, slapping a hand over her mouth in horror. "April, we have friends coming over for lunch in less than an hour! You two need to go get washed up before they see you like this!" Libby snickered under her breath and turned to go back into the kitchen.

"Yes mum," April mumbled, starting towards the stairs.

"And don't get any mud on my carpet!" Karen scolded, her hands on her hips. "I've just had the floors professionally cleaned!"

.o0o.

"We should talk," Jackson stated, sitting on the edge of April's bed, looking much more clean and presentable after having a shower.

April had just walked back into her bedroom, she'd gone downstairs to use her parents shower and was in the process of towel drying her damp hair. "About what?" she asked, refusing to make eye contact as she made her way over to her suitcase.

"You know what," he replied, his voice a quiet murmur.

Her entire body froze and she tried to ignore the way her stomach tightened. She'd been hoping that her and Jackson could avoid having this uncomfortable conversation. She sighed and forced herself to turn and look at him. "We don't have to make a big deal about it," she told him. "It was just a kiss and it doesn't have to mean anything."

He was thoughtful for a moment. "Is that what you want?" he asked her, looking up to meet her gaze. "To forget it happened?"

She looked away, unsure what to say. He'd just asked her the million dollar question and she knew that her answer would either make or break everything. She didn't know what she wanted. Part of her wanted to go back to being just friends, back to when everything was fun and simple between them. But then there was the other part of her, the irrational part that wanted him in a way she'd never experienced before, in a way that both frightened and thrilled her right down to her core.

"I...I..." April swallowed the lump in her throat, her heart racing inside her chest. "I don't know," she replied, lamely.

He cocked a brow, a confused expression on his pretty face. "You don't know?" he repeated. "What does that even mean?"

April sighed, shaking her head. "It means I don't know," she snapped, frustrated. "Look, Jackson, this is all so confusing and I have no idea how to deal with any of this. I think the kiss was a mistake. I was upset and you were trying to make me feel better and we both got caught up in the heat of the moment."

A hurt expression crossed over his face. "So you do regret it?" he asked her, sounding a little wounded.

April breathed a silent sigh, all the air escaping her lungs. "No," she murmured, her voice barely even a whisper. It was the truth. April would be lying if she said she regretted what happened between them last night. Jackson's kiss had been amazing and it had awakened something deep inside of April, a longing she'd never felt before.

April gave up trying to dry her hair and went over to take a seat next to Jackson on the bed. They were thoughtful for a few minutes, both of them silently trying to process their situation.

Jackson was the first to break the silence. "What are you thinking?"

April lifted her eyes to meet his, chewing nervously on her bottom lip. "I-I'm thinking that I've never been _this_ person before," she replied, ignoring the way her heart seemed to race at Jackson's close proximity. "I've never been the girl that kisses her best friend and _enjoys_ it. I've never been the girl who makes out with guys in public restrooms." April sighed, covering her face with both her hands. "I don't know what's wrong with me."

"Nothing is wrong with you, April," he told her, moving closer to drape his arm over her shoulder. "Look, if you want to try and forget what happened we can? We can go back to being friends and we can forget all about the kiss last night. It doesn't have to mean anything, okay? We can move pass this."

He was so close. She could feel the heat from his body through their clothes. He was wearing the aftershave she liked and it smelled heavenly. April's heart fluttered and her stomach twisted with butterflies. "But that's the problem," she whispered, licking her dry lips. "I...I don't want to move pass this."

Her words caused him to stiffen beside her. April slowly lifted her gaze, her eyes meeting his. Jackson's face was only a few inches away from hers and the sudden need to kiss him was so strong it forced the air out of her lungs.

Jackson's fingers played with her hair and his eyes remained glued to hers. She couldn't stop herself from leaning into him, her body aching to close the small gap between them. Her strong, burning desire for him instantly came rushing back in a giant wave of desperation. The only thing she could focus on was Jackson and how badly she wanted to kiss him.

He closed the space between them, his mouth lightly brushing against hers. Her eyes fluttered closed and a silent moan escaped her mouth. All of her senses were on overdrive and she couldn't control herself from grabbing hold of him and deepening the kiss, eager to have as much of him as possible. He was like some kind of drug and she just couldn't seem to have enough of him.

Her hands went to the hem of his shirt and she didn't think before grabbing hold of the material and pulling it upwards, eager to have it off. She wanted to be as close to him as possible and the layer of clothes separating them was more frustrating than anything. Jackson realized what she wanted and he pulled back from her just long enough to pull the shirt off and drop it on her floor.

She took a second to appreciate him with his shirt off and then he was kissing her again, his hand fisting in her hair and his mouth dominating hers. She gasped in surprise when she felt his other arm go around her waist and pull her into his lap so she was straddling him on the edge of her bed. Their new position surprised her and April couldn't help but stiffen in his arms.

"Is this okay?" he asked, kissing a path down her jawline.

April nodded, shuddering at the feel of his lips against her skin. Her eyes fluttered closed and her head fell back, giving his mouth access to more of her neck. She felt him nip and suck at her skin and it was all so overwhelming. April could feel something coming alive inside of her, the same desperate need she'd felt in the bathroom last night.

"Jackson," she murmured his name, her voice broken. He looked up at her, his gaze dark with lust. The look on his face caused April to shiver in his arms. No one had ever looked at her like that before.

And then she heard the doorbell sound from downstairs and it seemed to snap her back to reality. April inhaled a shaky breath, resting her forehead against his. "Mom's guests are here for lunch," she stated, her voice broken as she closed her eyes. "We should go downstairs before she comes looking for us."

Jackson's hand brushed against her face, his fingers soft against her cheek. He couldn't help but think how beautiful she was like this. Her damp hair was a mess and her lips were bruised and swollen. She looked thoroughly kissed and it was sexy as hell. Jackson continued to watch her, wondering why it had taken him this long to notice her like this. Had he been hiding under a rock for the past six years?

"What?" she asked, a light blush forming over her cheeks.

He pressed his lips against hers in a brief kiss. "You're amazing," he told her, his voice broken.

She smiled against his mouth and he felt her relax against him. "Well you're not so bad yourself," she replied, playfully.

This was good. She was joking and smiling and she wasn't freaking out like he'd worried she might. He brushed his hand through her damp hair, his gaze locked with hers. They didn't get a chance to say anything else before a knock sounded on the bedroom door. April stiffened in his arms and he watched as she quickly rolled off of him and jumped to her feet. She grabbed his shirt and tossed it at him, giving him a wide eye look.

The door opened just as Jackson was pulling his shirt back on. Alice walked into the room, smirking when she realized what she'd just interrupted. Jackson couldn't hide his amusement when he noticed how red and embarrassed April was. She bit down on her lip, running her hands through her messy hair to try and flatten it down. Her shirt was a little lopsided and there was a faint hickey beginning to show on her neck.

"Did I interrupt something?" Alice asked, smiling as she crossed her arms over her chest.

"What? No...Jackson and I were...we were just getting ready for lunch," April replied, her voice hitched.

"Riiiiiight..." Alice smiled knowingly. "Well Sam's here to see you, and mum needs your help getting lunch ready." She turned her back towards them. "Oh and April you might wanna cover up that hickey before dad sees it." She didn't say anything else before leaving the room, shutting the door behind her.

.o0o.

"So how long have you two been dating?" Sam asked, taking a swig from his beer.

Jackson couldn't help but hate April's friend. He hated the way he looked at April, like he was freaking in love with her and completely captivated by everything she did. He hated how he would look for any excuse to touch her, to brush his hand against hers or pull her into a friendly hug. He hated how he would make April laugh by telling some kind of stupid joke that wasn't even funny, the way he'd make April's entire face light up with laughter. But mostly Jackson hated the way April acted around him, how happy and carefree she was when she was with him.

He knew it was immature of him, he had no right to dislike any of April's friends. But Jackson couldn't help it. The burning rage he felt in the pit of his stomach every time he watched April interact with her douchebag friend was indescribable. He'd never been the type of guy who would get jealous over a girl, he wasn't _that_ person. But now, sitting with the rest of April's friends and family and watching April focus all of her undivided attention on the six foot tall cowboy sitting next to her made something stir inside of him. He didn't like it and for the first time in a long time Jackson found himself feeling threatened and uneasy.

"A few months," April replied, automatically. The trauma surgeon took a sip from her glass of wine and flashed Jackson a small smile from across the table. "But Jackson and I have been friends since we started at Mercy West."

They were having lunch down by the lake at the back of the Kepner farm. All of Karen and Joe's friends had brought food to share and everyone was busy eating and making conversation between themselves. Joe had set up a huge table and they had an amazing view of the lake from where they were sitting.

"So you guys are pretty serious then?" Sam asked, looking between Jackson and April. Jackson could tell that April's friend was fishing for information about their relationship and for some reason that didn't settle well with Jackson.

April went to respond but Jackson spoke up before she had the chance. "Very serious," he murmured, meeting Sam's gaze. "April means everything to me. I couldn't imagine my life without her." He held his gaze for a few seconds, silently telling the douchebag to back the fuck off.

"Well that's great," Sam said, talking with his mouth full. "My little Apple deserves to be happy." He reached out to playfully pat her head. "You're lucky to have her, Jackson. This ones a keeper."

Jackson watched as April giggled, playfully slapping her friends hand away. "Stop it," she giggled. "You know how much I hate it when you do that!"

He grinned down at her, draping his arm over her shoulders. Jackson continued to watch them interact with each other, his appetite quickly disappearing. "Sam, did you know that Jackson's a plastic surgeon?" Alice asked, from her seat beside Jackson. "He makes a shit load of money." Jackson turned to look at the younger Kepner, cocking a brow in question. She gave him a side glance and winked, flashing Jackson a small smile.

"So you specialize in nose jobs and breast implants?" the cowboy asked, teasingly.

"Not exactly," Jackson mumbled, having a drink from his beer and suppressing the urge to punch the fucktard in the face. He'd already punched one fucker in the past 24 hours and he would be more than happy to do it again if it meant wiping that ugly ass smirk off his all-too-perfect face. "Actually, most of my area of expertise is with burn victims."

"Oh," replied the blonde cowboy.

"Jackson also works on babies who are born with clefs and other facial deformities. Last month he helped create cheekbones on a baby who was born with Treacher Collins Syndrome," Alice stated, sounding more than a little proud of her sisters boyfriend. Jackson could see that Alice was trying to make Jackson look good in front of Sam. He suppressed a smile and found himself liking the younger Kepner even more. "His grandfather is a world famous heart surgeon."

"That's great," Sam replied and it was more than obvious that he had no real interest in this conversation.

Jackson's phone began to vibrate inside his pocket. Jackson excused himself for a moment, thankful for the opportunity to escape the very awkward conversation. He got up from the table and pulled his phone out, cringing when he saw that it was his mom calling. "Hey mom," he greeted, walking away from the table. "What's up?"

"Hey Baby!" Catherine Avery's voice was filled with excitement. "How's my baby boy doing in Ohio?"

Jackson stiffened. How did she know he was in Ohio? He hadn't told her anything. "Uh...how did you know I was here?" he asked, scratching the back of his neck.

She chuckled. "Dr. Sloan informed me that you were there with the lovely Dr. Kepner." Her voice was dripping with happiness. "Is it true?" she asked, eagerly.

Jackson stopped walking when he came to the shoreline of the lake, far enough from the table so he was out of earshot. "Yeah," he replied, clearing his throat uncomfortably.

"So Sloan wasn't lying," she said, excited. "You really are dating April! This is great news! She's a lovely girl, Jackson and I think she's perfect for you!" Her voice was filled with happiness. "Although I really wish you'd told me sooner, I feel like I'm the last person to know."

Jackson sighed and closed his eyes, pinching the bridge of his nose. "I didn't tell you anything because there wasn't anything to tell you," he grumbled. God he really didn't feel like having this conversation with his mother right now. "Things are complicated. It's not as simple as you think."

Catherine seemed to ignore everything he said, she was much too excited. "So when are you going to bring her to Boston to meet the family?" she asked. "You've met hers so it's only fair that she meets yours! Your sisters are going to love her, Jackson!"

Jackson shook his head, leaning down to pick up a pebble and toss it into the water. "No, mom," he murmured. "I'm not bringing her to Boston."

Their was a silent pause on the other end of the line. "Why not?" she asked, sounding a little wounded.

"Because it's not like that, mom. I just...I..." He didn't know what to say. He didn't want to get into this conversation right now, not here and not like this. His mom was beyond excited at the idea of him dating April and he couldn't help but smile at her happiness. He didn't want to let her down, not over the phone. He'd wait until he was back in Seattle until he told her the truth. "Okay," he told her. "I'll talk to her about coming to Boston."

She shrilled with happiness. "Oh baby!" Jackson wondered if maybe she was jumping up and down with excitement. "Your grandfather is going to be so excited to meet her! There's this big benefit ball in a couple of months...you should bring April to that! The entire family will be here!"

Jackson shuddered at the idea of introducing April to his family. "Sure," he murmured, picking up another pebble. "Sounds great, mom."

"Have you had sex with her yet?"

"What? No. We are not talking about this."

"Oh come on, baby. You can talk to me," she said. "It's about time April did the horizontal tango. She needs to let loose and have some fun, maybe then she'll stop being so uptight all the time."

"Mom!" he snapped. "Please stop talking," he murmured. "I'm not having this conversation with you. Ever."

"Relax honey, I'm just asking," she soothed, a smile in her voice. "I'm happy for you. For both of you. Just don't do anything to screw this up, okay?"

Jackson went on to change the subject. They talked for a few minutes before Catherine had to go, telling Jackson to call her as soon as he was back in Seattle. After saying goodbye, Jackson ended the call and slipped his cellphone back into his pocket, turning his attention back to the lake. He tossed another pebble into the water, thinking that he should probably head back to the table. He didn't want everyone to think he was antisocial.

"Hey," came a voice from behind. Jackson spun around and was surprised to see a young woman standing a few yards back, watching him with bright blue eyes. She was young and slender with blonde hair and pale skin. Jackson could tell just by looking at her that she'd had at least a couple of boob jobs. She was wearing a tight black dress that was a little too improper for a family lunch.

"Hey," he greeted, giving the young girl a polite smile.

"I don't think we've been introduced," she purred, making her way over to him. "I'm Phoebe, April's second cousin." She held her hand out for Jackson to shake.

"Nice to meet you." Jackson shook her hand, trying to ignore the way she battered her fake lashes at him.

"So it's true then," she murmured, licking her bright red lips. "April finally found herself a boyfriend."

"Yeah," he replied, pulling his hand out of her grasp.

"And how did someone like April manage to get a guy like you?" she asked, crossing her arms over her chest and causing her breasts to almost spill out of her dress.

Jackson instantly disliked the young girl. He turned his back towards her and slipped his hands into his jacket pockets, silently hoping that she would leave him alone. He wasn't an idiot, he knew Phoebe was trying to flirt with him. The thought pissed him off. He didn't like the way she talked about April and he didn't appreciate her trying to come onto him during a family lunch.

"April's amazing," he told her, his voice clipped. He knew he couldn't be rude to her, he didn't want to cause any arguments or anything. "I'm lucky to have her."

She made a scoffing noise and came to stand even closer to him, all but pushing her breasts into his face. "I bet I could show you a thing or two," she purred, her voice filled with seduction. Jackson stiffened when he felt her hand on his arm. "April's great, but she's not very experienced. You need a girl like me, a girl who can show you a thing or two." She squeezed his arm, winking playfully.

Meanwhile, April was sitting and listening to Sam tell everyone a story about how he'd ridden this crazy stallion at a rodeo back in Texas. She wasn't really paying much attention to what he was saying, she was too busy watching Jackson and Phoebe interact with each other down by the lake. She watched as Phoebe flirted with Jackson, her younger cousin all but rubbing herself all over him. She wasn't surprised, Phoebe was well known for trying to hit on anything that walked.

But what did surprise April was the rush of jealousy that cursed through her when she witnessed Phoebe touch Jackson, resting her hand casually on his arm while she battered her fake lashes at him. April felt her hands go into fists and the need to go over there and break up their conversation was overwhelming. She watched as Jackson flashed Phoebe one of his charming smiles, his lips moving as he talked to the young blonde.

"C-can you excuse me for a second?" April asked, giving Sam a smile before pushing her chair out and jumping to her feet. She didn't think before making her way over to Jackson and Phoebe, her blood pumping in her ears as she tried desperately to ignore the rush of jealousy that ripped through her.

Jackson spun around as soon as he heard April approach, giving her a relieved smile. "April," he breathed, going over to wrap his arm around her waist. April stiffened when she felt his lips brush against her cheek, causing her skin to prickle in response. Her belly tightened and she instinctively leaned into him, enjoying the familiar warmth of his body against hers.

"W-what were you guys talking about?" April asked, looking over at her cousin. She couldn't help but narrow her eyes at the fake blonde, watching as Phoebe continued to give Jackson one of her most flirtatious smiles, as though April wasn't standing right there in front of her.

"Jackson was just telling me all about his job as a surgeon," she murmured, her eyes raking up and down his body.

April's jaw clenched as she watched the bottle blonde continue to flirt with her date. She wanted to slap the stupid grin off her stupid face. "Yeah," April replied, looking up at Jackson and giving him a huge smile. "My boyfriend is pretty amazing." She reached up to kiss him on the cheek, her hand resting possessively over his chest, silently trying to tell Phoebe to back off.

Jackson returned her smile, his bright green eyes twinkling with amusement. "You're not so bad yourself," he told her, his fingers playing with the scarf that April had tied around her neck, attempting to try and hide the hickey Jackson had given her.

April leaned her head against Jackson, forcing a fake smile on her lips. "Phoebe, would you mind giving me a moment alone with my boyfriend?" she asked, eager for the blonde bimbo to leave Jackson alone.

Phoebe gave April a look that could freeze hell, her eyes narrowed with annoyance. "Fine," she snapped. "I was just going to go use the bathroom anyway." She looked up at Jackson. "It was nice meeting you, Jackson. I can't wait to get to know you better." Her voice dripped with heat.

Jackson wasn't paying any attention to her. He was too busy trying to hide his amusement over the fact that April was actually jealous. He'd never seen the red head act like this before and he'd be lying if he didn't admit that her jealousy was sexy as hell. Not that she really had anything to be jealous over anyway, Phoebe definitely wasn't his type.

"It was nice meeting you too, Penelope," he replied, purposely forgetting her name.

"It's Phoebe," she corrected, huffing in frustration. Thankfully, the blonde didn't say anything else before storming off in the other direction, obviously annoyed.

April watched her cousin walk away before she broke down in a fit of giggles. "Penelope?" she asked, stepping away from Jackson and smiling up at him. "I think you really pissed her off."

Jackson shrugged, a faint smile on his lips. "She was kinda annoying."

April nodded and went over to take a seat on a large rock next to the water. "Yeah, Phoebe usually tries to sleep with anything that has two legs," she stated. "Sorry about that."

Jackson's eyes remained glued on April, watching her as she turned to look at the water, a smile lighting up her face. She looked so beautiful, her red hair shining brilliantly in the sunlight. She was wearing a yellow sun dress that fell above her knees, showing off her perfect legs. She had a blue headband in her hair that matched the scarf she'd tied around her neck. She looked so happy and carefree.

She turned to look at him, a smile spreading across her face when she noticed Jackson watching her. "What?" she asked, a light blush forming over her cheeks.

"Nothing," he replied, returning her smile and going over to take a seat next to her on the rock, his shoulder pressing against hers. They fell into a comfortable silence, enjoying the sound of the water lapping against the shore and the quiet murmur of April's friends and family talking between themselves back at the table.

"I don't want to leave this place," April breathed, breaking the silence between them. Jackson looked over at her, watching as she looked out at the water, a wistful expression on her beautiful face. "I've really missed this place."

Jackson didn't think before he reached over to hold her hand. April looked surprised by his gesture, her eyes widening as she turned her head to look at him, her gaze flicking down to their joined hands. He smiled when she threaded her fingers with his, relaxing beside him. April closed her eyes and rested her head on his shoulder, a soft smile spreading over her lips.

"Mom thinks you're my girlfriend," Jackson blurted out. "Sloan told her that we were in Ohio together."

He felt April stiffen beside him. Slowly lifting her head from his shoulder, she turned to look at him. "W-what did she say?" she asked, her brow drawn together with worry.

He smiled at her, his hand squeezing hers. "Truthfully, she sounded pretty excited," he told her. "I didn't have the heart to tell her the truth." Not that either of them really knew what the truth was anyway. Their relationship had changed so drastically during the past few days and it was almost impossible to put a label on what they'd become. "I'll talk to her when we get back to Seattle."

April was thoughtful for a moment, licking her lips while she tried to process what he'd told her. She didn't know what to think. April really liked Catherine Avery, she was an amazing surgeon and April was probably one of her biggest fans. They'd even been facebook friends up until a few months ago when Jackson had basically forced them to un-friend each other. Now April couldn't help but worry what Jackson's mom might think of her. She worried what Catherine's reaction might be once she discovered that Jackson wasn't really her boyfriend. Because, let's face it, whatever it was that was happening between her and Jackson wasn't going to last. He'd made it clear that he wasn't really interested in a serious, long term relationship. April was almost certain that Jackson would probably want their friendship to go back to normal once they were back in Seattle.

The thought didn't sit well with her.

"April?" Jackson's voice pulled her out of her thoughts. She looked up at Jackson, forcing herself to smile and pushing the feeling of doubt out of her mind. She wouldn't let herself worry about what might happen between them, not yet. "You okay?"

April nodded. "I'm fine," she assured him. "Everything's fine." She pushed herself to her feet and turned to smile at Jackson. "We should probably go back before mom comes looking for us."

He nodded and followed April as she started walking back in the direction of the others. Honestly, he wasn't in a rush to go back to everyone else, he had no real desire to sit and listen to April's douchebag friend talk about himself for another painful hour. The thought alone made him want to open a vein.

His thoughts were interrupted when he felt April's small hand clasp his own, her fingers threading so easily with his. She glanced sideways at him, a shy smile on her lips.

"There you are!" Sam's booming voice snapped them back to reality, causing Jackson to flinch. "We were starting to think you guys weren't coming back."

Jackson sighed under his breath and watched as April let go of his hand and went over to sit back down next to Sam. Sam grinned down at her, tossing his arm over her shoulder. Jackson felt the familiar knot of jealousy return to the pit of his stomach and he inhaled a breath as he went to take his place back at the table.

Yep, this was going to be a really long afternoon.

* * *

**Reviews are love.**


	7. Sparks Fly

AN: Once again I'm sorry for the delay, I really do suck at updating frequently, don't I? Sorry! However, I hope this chapter will make up for the delay in posting...  
I need to stress to you all that this is an **M rated story** and that rating is definitely needed for this chapter...So if you don't like reading sex stuff then you better sit this one out...don't say I didn't warn you lol!

I hope this lives up to all of your expectations...I've written it and re written it so many times that I've finally given up and decided to just go with it...I think I'm happy with it...but your opinion is extremely important so make sure you leave a review...reviews are love ;)

and thank you all SO much for all your amazing reviews...you guys seriously don't understand how much I adore you!

Anyways enough rambling from me...please enjoy!

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Chapter 7: Sparks Fly

* * *

_I run my fingers through your hair and watch the lights go wild_  
_ Just keep on keeping your eyes on me, it's just wrong enough to make it feel right_  
_ And lead me up the staircase_  
_ Won't you whisper soft and slow?_  
_ I'm captivated by you, baby, like a firework show_

April sat with her sisters in the living room, sipping on a mug of hot chocolate, an old episode of Gilmore Girls playing on the TV. They weren't paying any attention to the show, they were too busy chatting and laughing between themselves, catching up on all the time they'd missed spending together.

It was the middle of the night and everyone else in the house was asleep. Jackson had gone to bed hours ago, deciding to get an early night and give April some time alone with her sisters. April was sitting on the floor, her back pressed against the lounge while Libby sat behind her, playing with April's hair. Alice was perched on the single armchair, her legs hanging over the armrest and a huge bowl of buttered popcorn in her lap.

"I still can't believe I'm engaged," Kimmie commented, holding her hand out in front of her to admire her huge engagement ring. She was stretched out on the living room floor, using April's legs as a pillow. "I'm actually getting married!"

April grinned down at her younger sister, smiling at how happy she was. "I'm really excited for you," she said, running her hand through Kimmie's hair. "Carl's great, you guys are perfect for each other."

"So that just leaves you, April," Libby pointed out. "When do you think Jackson will pop the big question?"

April stiffened. "Ah...we haven't talked about marriage or anything yet," she replied, awkwardly. "There's no rush."

"Awwwwww you and Jackson are going to have the most adorable babies!" Kimmie added, grinning from ear to ear.

April sighed, rolling her eyes at her sisters. "It's too early to even think about that," she mumbled.

"He's totally head-over-heels in love with you," Kimmie stated. "You should have seen the way he was watching you with Sam today. He looked pretty jealous if you ask me."

"He wasn't jealous," April argued. "Sam's just a friend and Jackson knows that."

"Yeah, but everyone knows Sam has been in love with you since forever," Alice added, stuffing a handful of popcorn into her mouth. "And it looked pretty obvious today that he's still got the hots for you."

"Sam definitely wants to get inside your pants," Kimmie agreed.

"It must be so hard for you, April," Libby murmured, sarcastically. "Having all these hot men chasing after you."

April sighed, taking a sip from her drink. "It's not like that," she grumbled. "Sam's just a friend."

"Did you see the hickey Jackson gave her?" Alice asked, changing the subject and embarrassing April even more. "I walked in on them making out in April's room earlier." Her voice was filled with pride.

April sighed, pulling the collar of her robe up to try and cover the mark Jackson had left on her neck. "Shut up, Alice!" she snapped, narrowing her eyes at her younger sister.

Libby sat up straight, giving April a wicked smile. "Let me see!"

"It's not a hickey," April retorted, defensively. "I...I burnt myself on my hair straighter." It sounded lame even to her own ears.

"Yeah right." Kimmie grabbed hold of the collar of April's robe and pulled it down, exposing the mark on her sisters neck. "Well I'll be dammed," she said, grinning broadly. "I never thought I'd see the day that April let a boy give her a hickey! It's about time!"

"Stop it!" April snapped, defensively.

"Oh would you relax?" Alice asked her, her mouth filled with popcorn. "It's just a hickey, April, you don't have to be so embarrassed about it."

"I'm not embarrassed," April mumbled, her cheeks warm. She focused her attention on the television, cupping her mug with both her hands.

"So what's the sex like?" Alice prodded, sitting up and reaching over to grab her hot chocolate off the coffee table. "I bet Jackson's amazing in bed."

April felt her entire body flush and she looked down at her mug, wishing her sisters would talk about something else. "It's great," she told them, voice mumbled.

"Oh come on, April! We need more details!" Kimmie gave April a nudge, wagging her eyebrows suggestively.

"We're not talking about this."

"Hey, Alice, why don't you and Kimmie go make us some more hot chocolate?" Libby asked, holding her mug out towards her sister. "I've finished mine."

Alice huffed. "Fine." She got up from her couch and grabbed Libby's mug. "Do you want more, April?"

April smiled and shook her head. "No thanks."

April watched as Kimmie and Alice gathered all their used dishes and made their way into the kitchen. After they left, Libby moved to sit next to April on the floor, turning to look at her younger sister.

"You haven't slept with him yet, have you?" she asked, her voice a quiet murmur.

April's eyes widened as she looked over at Libby. "What? O-of course I have." She gave a nervous chuckle, tucking a loose strand of hair back behind her ear. "Why...why would you even ask me that?" she asked, laughing nervously.

Libby continued to watch her, a knowing look on her face. "You don't have to be embarrassed," she told her, reaching out to take hold of April's hand.

April swallowed the lump in her throat, sighing loudly. "No," she whispered, relaxing against her sisters side. "I haven't slept with him yet."

"Can I ask why?" Libby put her arm around her. "Jackson's perfect for you. What are you waiting for?"

April bit down on her lip, averting her gaze. "I...I need to tell you something," she whispered. "And you have to promise me that you wont freak out."

"Okay?" Libby furrowed her brow, confused.

"You have to promise," April told her, chewing on her lip. "I can't tell you unless you promise."

"I promise," she said, a look of confusion etched on her face. "What's going on?"

"The thing is," April started, taking a deep breath. "Jackson...he's not really my boyfriend."

Libby looked even more confused. "Huh?" she frowned. "What does that even mean?"

April sighed and forced herself to look at Libby. "I lied to mom and dad, I told them I had a boyfriend because I wanted to make them happy. But the truth...the truth is I don't. I've never had a boyfriend," April kept talking, the words slipping out of her mouth. "So, Jackson agreed to come here with me as my pretend boyfriend. I didn't want to upset mom, she was so happy to hear that I'd finally found someone. I...I know it was a mistake...I'm a terrible person." Tears formed behind her eyes as she quickly looked away, a dry lump in the back of her throat. "I'm sorry. I didn't want to lie to you guys, but I had to. I...I didn't want to disappoint everyone."

Libby was silent for a moment, trying to process what April was telling her. "Are you serious?" she finally asked.

April nodded, swallowing back the tears. "Yes, I'm serious."

Libby sat back against the lounge, stunned. "Wow," she whispered. "You've done some pretty crazy things, sis, but this is by far the craziest."

April nodded. "I know."

"So...he's just a friend?" she asked, having a hard time trying to comprehend it. "That's it?"

April bit down on her lip. "Well...that's the thing," she replied, looking over at her sister. "Things...things have changed between us and now...now I don't know what's going on."

Libby lifted her brow in question. "How so?"

"We kissed," she told her. "A couple of times. And now everything feels so different and I'm so confused."

"Do you like him?"

"Yes." Of course she liked him, and if April was going to be completely honest with herself, there was a part of her that had always had a little crush on the plastic surgeon. What normal straight woman wouldn't? Jackson was handsome and smart and he'd always been there for her, through everything. "Of course I do."

Libby continued to watch her. "Do you trust him?" she asked.

April sighed and nodded. "Yeah, I do."

"So, what's the problem?" Libby shrugged. "Jackson seems like a great guy and I honestly think he likes you. I mean, what sort of guy would travel half way across the country to _pretend_ to be your boyfriend if he wasn't even a little interested in you? Guys don't do that unless they actually want to be your boyfriend." Libby gave her a warm smile and pulled April even tighter against her side. "Honestly, I think you're over-thinking everything. You need to go with your instincts on this."

April smiled, wiping the tears out of her eyes. "I'm sorry for lying to you. You're not mad at me?"

Libby shook her head and smiled. "No, I'm not mad at you." She gave April a playful pat on the top of her head. "Just as long as you promise not to lie about this stuff again. It's not cool."

April nodded and wrapped her arms around her in a tight hug, thinking how lucky she was to have such an amazing big sister.

.o0o.

It was almost three in the morning when the girls decided to call it a night and go to bed. After they cleaned up the mess they made in the living room, April said goodnight to her sisters and slowly made her way upstairs. As she walked up the staircase, she couldn't help but think about what Libby had said to her earlier, their conversation playing over and over in her mind.

"_You have to trust your instincts on this." _April's heart started to race, her skin prickling. Her instincts said that she could trust Jackson, he'd never given her a reason not to. There was this part of her that wanted him in a way she'd never wanted anything before, in a way that both thrilled her and frightened her.

April stopped outside her bedroom door, freezing with her hand on the doorknob. She closed her eyes, resting her forehead against the door while she tried to process her thoughts. Her instincts were telling her that this was right, that she at least owed it to herself to see where this thing between her and Jackson was going. She didn't want to be a virgin for the rest of her life and now she had this beautiful man here, a man that seemed to want her as much as she wanted him.

Inhaling a deep, shaky breath, April opened her eyes and turned the handle, letting herself into her dimly lit bedroom. She closed the door behind her and took a moment to appreciate the sight of Jackson asleep soundly on his side of the bed. The curtains on the window were hanging open, letting the moonlight shine into her room and bathing everything in a soft, silver glow.

Her stomach fluttered when she thought about what she was going to do. April ignored the butterflies she could feel fluttering around inside of her as she flicked the lock on her door and removed her robe, hanging it up on the hook behind the door. She shivered, turning back around to look at him. April's knees trembled underneath her as she slowly tiptoed over to where Jackson was sleeping, ignoring the way her blood pounded in her ears.

She stood over him, her throat suddenly dry and her stomach twisted with nerves. She ignored the flutter of doubt that passed through her and reminded herself that this was right. She wanted this and if she was going to be completely honest with herself, there was a part of her that had always wanted this.

"Jackson," she murmured his name, reaching out to touch his arm. Jackson mumbled something and his eyes slowly fluttered open to look at her, a look of confusion on his beautiful face.

"April?" he sat up, glancing at the time on the digital clock beside him. "W-what's wrong?" he asked, voice husky with sleep. April's voice caught in her throat and she found it impossible to speak. She bit down on her lip, her heart racing inside her chest as she reached out to take his hand, urging him to get of bed.

He didn't question her. Jackson pulled the covers back and got to his feet, his brow furrowed with confusion. He stood over her, his body so close she could feel the heat radiating off his skin. Her eyes skimmed over his bare chest, marveling at how beautiful this man was. Beautiful really was the only way to describe him. Words like handsome and sexy didn't even begin to come close to doing him any justice.

"April?" his voice was a quiet murmur, a questioning look on his face.

April swallowed and looked up to meet his eyes. "I want you," she whispered, her voice broken. Jackson continued to watch her, his gaze darkening as April took a step back and slowly pulled her nightgown up over her head, dropping it on the floor and leaving her standing in front of him wearing nothing but a pair of white panties.

She watched his eyes rake over her almost-naked body, taking in the sight of her. She felt her entire body flush under the weight of his gaze and April suppressed the urge to cover herself up, suddenly worried that maybe he wouldn't like what he was seeing. What if he didn't want her? April wasn't sure she'd be able to handle it if he rejected her now.

"April," he breathed her name and in less than a second he'd closed the distance between them, his hands going to her waist and pulling her against him. She gasped as his mouth landed over hers, kissing her hard. One of his hands went to the back of her head, fisting through her hair and urging her head back to deepen the kiss, his tongue slipping between her parted lips.

She relaxed against him, her body melting into his embrace as Jackson pulled her even tighter against him. The feel of his bare hands against her naked skin was almost unbearable and she found herself wanting to have as much of him as possible. Her belly tightened with anticipation and a rush of desire ripped through her, settling inside her gut.

Their bodies were flush together, his bare chest pressing against hers. Her hands raked over his back and she marveled at the way his muscles seemed to ripple under her touch. "April," he pulled back from the kiss, resting his forehead against hers. "Are...are you sure?" he asked, his voice hoarse and broken. Jackson's hands were splayed out on her waist, his fingers digging into her skin.

April wrapped her arms around his neck, a soft smile on her lips as she looked into his eyes. "Yes," she whispered. "I'm sure." She inhaled a deep, shaky breath, her entire body humming with nervous energy. "Just...be gentle?" It was more of a question than a statement. April suddenly felt more than a little scared. She'd never done anything more than kiss a guy and now she was about to have sex with one. The thought alone made her panic. What if she did something wrong? What if she wasn't very good at this?

His voice was calm and gentle, his fingers gently stroking her skin. "I'm not going to hurt you." He kissed her softly and April instantly melted into him, her entire body relaxing. "We don't have to do this?" he told her. "We don't have to rush into anything."

April shook her head. "I want to." And it was the truth, she did want this. Jackson made her feel safe, like he'd never let anything hurt her. She wanted her first time to be with him, with someone she trusted and loved. April took a step back from him, her eyes still locked with his as she sat down in the middle of her bed, sitting on her knees and looking up at Jackson, her eyes never leaving his.

Jackson had never seen anything more beautiful. He took in the sight of April sitting in front of him, almost completely naked, her pale skin bathed in the soft glow of the moonlight. Her dark red hair hung in loose curls around her face, her bare chest rising with every breath, her eyes wide with desire. She really was perfect and he couldn't believe it had taken him this long to notice her, to want her. It was as though he'd been wearing a blindfold for the past five years and someone had finally taken it off.

He closed the gap between them, the distance almost unbearable. His hand went to the back of her head, fisting through her hair as his lips found hers, kissing her with everything he had. His other hand was on her hip as he pulled her down, laying her beneath him, a gasp of surprise sounding from her lips.

They kissed for a long time. He didn't want to rush her or make her feel pressured into doing anything. He wanted to give her enough time to change her mind, to back out if she decided she wanted to stop.

His hands slowly began to roam over her body, eager to feel and touch as much of her as possible. He kissed her mouth, her neck, her collarbone, anywhere he could reach. He pressed his lips against the small mark he'd left on her neck earlier, suppressing the urge to mark her again. She moved beneath him, her fingers pressing into his back and tracing patterns into his skin. He shuddered under her touch, enjoying the feel of her hands against him.

He leaned back on his elbows to gaze down at her, a smile on his lips. He took a moment to appreciate the sight of her beneath him like this, burning it to memory. Jackson never wanted to forget this moment, forget how good it felt to have her in his arms like this.

April blushed under his gaze, averting her eyes. "What is it?" she whispered, biting down on her lip.

He smirked, leaning down to kiss the tender skin below her ear. Jackson's hand found her breast and she shivered at his touch. He heard her inhale a sharp breath as Jackson began to kiss a path down to her cleavage, his hand continuing to massage her breast while his mouth moved hungrily over her skin.

"Jackson," she murmured his name and the murmur soon turned into a moan as he took one of her nipples between his teeth. She was shocked by how good it felt, her body arching off the mattress as her nails scraped across his back.

After a moment Jackson moved back up to kiss her mouth, his hand still on her breast as his tongue found hers. "Are you sure?" he asked her again, between kisses. "I...I need to know that you're sure about this." He pulled back to meet her eyes. "I need to know that this is what you want."

April looked up at him, her hands moving up over his arms. His body was hovering over hers, pressing her into the mattress. She took a second to appreciate how good he looked like this, how his bright green eyes seemed to sparkle even in the darkened room. April's fingers gently traced over the lines of his firm biceps, her hands itching to touch as much of him as possible. Her gaze flicked down to his neck and she leaned up to plant a kiss against his stubbly jaw.

April felt him shudder against her and she couldn't help but feel a little proud of herself for getting that reaction from him. "I've never been more sure of anything." It sounded cliché, but it was the truth. April felt safe with him like this, as though nothing could ever hurt her. She knew that she could trust him, with anything. He would never hurt her on purpose.

He smiled down at her, dropping his head to kiss her lazily. April could feel herself beginning to grow desperate, she needed him and she didn't want to wait much longer. Her hands moved down over his back, grasping the waistband of his sleep pants and tugging them down, eager to have them off.

Realizing what she wanted, Jackson pulled away. He slid off the bed and April watched as he rid himself from his pants, leaving him standing in front of her completely naked. April's entire body flushed at the sight of him, her eyes raking over his naked form and widening at the sight of his erection. She bit down on her lip, her cheeks warm and she suppressed the urge to look away. She'd seen plenty of manly parts in her life, being a doctor and everything, but she'd never seen one like this before. Jackson was big, bigger than most, and April couldn't help but wonder how it was even supposed to fit. The thought made her nervous and she suddenly felt like she'd swam miles out of her depth. She had no idea what she was doing and she worried that her lack of experience might disappoint Jackson. She would hate herself if she did something wrong, if he didn't enjoy this as much as he was supposed to.

He seemed to pick up on her discomfort and April watched as he slid back into bed with her, coming to lay down beside her. "April?" She turned onto her side so they were both facing each other. "Do you want to stop?" he asked, his hand moving up and down her arm.

She forced herself to smile at him, reaching out to touch the hairs on his chest. "I...I've never done this before," she reminded him, her voice a soft murmur.

"I know." He kissed her forehead. "It's okay," he assured her. "We don't have to do anything you don't want to do."

April nodded and she moved closer to him, closing the distance between them. "I'm okay," she whispered, holding his face in both her hands. "Just...tell me if I do something wrong?" she asked, nervously. "I...I don't want to disappoint you." Her cheeks burned and she averted her gaze, unable to make eye contact.

Jackson's entire body burned at her words. God, she had no idea how fucking amazing she was. There was no way she could ever disappoint him. Jackson's desire for her was almost frightening, his hands itched to touch her, his dick throbbed to be inside of her. He was starving for her, for all of her. He felt like a teenager all over again, his need for April was almost embarrassing.

Truthfully, Jackson had never slept with a virgin before. Inexperienced girls had never been his thing. He liked women with experience, women who knew what they were doing. He liked girls with confidence in the bedroom.

That was until April came along. She was the exact opposite of everything he usually went for. She was so innocent and inexperienced. She was completely open and vulnerable in front of him, letting Jackson see a side to her that no one else had ever seen. Jackson was the only person to ever see her like this, to touch her, and the thought made something stir inside of him. His stomach clenched and he couldn't control the rush of possessiveness that passed through him.

"You wont disappoint me," he assured her, looking into her eyes. "You couldn't." His hand moved down over the side of her waist, settling on her hip. He leaned over to place a tender kiss on her shoulder.

April inhaled a sharp breath, her eyes fluttering close. She felt as though all of her senses had been heightened and every time he touched her it was like a current of electricity was passing through her, settling between her thighs. Jackson's mouth moved across her shoulder, planting kisses along her skin. She turned her face to meet his and their lips brushed together in a sweet kiss that made April's heart flutter. Her hands went to the back of his neck as he rolled her over onto her back, resuming his position on top of her.

April stiffened when she felt Jackson's hand move down her stomach and brush against the front of her panties. Her eyes widened with surprise. "Is this okay?" he asked, his lips against her ear as he touched her through the thin fabric, his fingers prodding against her in just the right spot.

"Ohmygosh!" she gasped, her eyes clamping shut as she held onto his upper arms for support. April's entire body hummed with sparks of pleasure. She couldn't stop her hips from bucking against his hand, urging him to keep going. She'd never felt anything so good in all her life.

And then he removed his hand and April couldn't help but whimper at the loss. "W-why...why are you stopping?" she asked, her voice hitched. She wanted to growl in frustration, her entire body burning for him to touch her again.

She felt him smile against her, his hands hooking into the elastic of her panties. "Don't worry," he murmured, brushing his mouth against hers in a brief kiss. "I don't plan on stopping." She bit down on her bottom lip as he began to pull her underwear down her thighs. April lifted up so he could remove them, watching as Jackson slowly tugged them all the way off, discarding them on the floor.

Once he had them off, Jackson kissed a trail up the inside of her leg, his mouth hot against her skin and she shivered as he placed a heated kiss on the inside of her thigh, his stubble jaw brushing against her skin. His breath was hot against her center and April couldn't help but groan loudly as he brushed his thumb against her, making her body arch off the mattress. No one had ever seen this much of her before. Normally, April would be too embarrassed to let anyone look at her like this, but she was just so turned on right now that her modesty was really the last thing she was worried about. All she could focus on was Jackson and how desperately she wanted, needed, him to touch her, to relieve the pressure in the pit of her stomach.

"Please," she whispered, all but begging.

And then his mouth was on her and he was kissing her _down there _and it just felt so good that April thought she might die if he stopped. Her eyes clamped shut, her mouth open. Her legs tightened around him as she grabbed hold of the sheets, looking for some kind of support. Every nerve in her body felt like it was on fire, her body consumed with wave after wave of pleasure. Jackson knew exactly what he was doing, his tongue and his mouth bringing her the most indescribable pleasure.

And then he was pushing two fingers into her and April couldn't help but gasp at the feeling. Her eyes opened and she bit down on her lip, trying to adjust to the new sensation. She felt her inner walls being stretched around him and it felt good, really good. She murmured his name and she smiled as he moved back up the bed to kiss her, his mouth hot against hers.

It only took a few strokes of his hand before she came completely undone. April's entire body shuddered as she fell from the edge, her walls clamping down around his fingers as she experienced her first orgasm. Throwing her head back into the pillows, April's nails scraped across his back, her hips rocking against his hand as she groaned out his name. She could see stars behind her eyes and her heart was racing so fast April thought it might stop.

He kissed her again, his tongue brushing against hers as he removed his hand from between her legs. "You okay?" he asked, leaning back to meet her gaze.

April flashed him a lazy smile. "Thank you," she whispered, breathless. "That was...that was...amazing."

He lay down next to her and watched her for a moment, trying to ignore the painful erection that was throbbing between his legs, begging for some kind of release. He reached out to touch her, running his fingers along her collarbone, making April shiver in response.

"Jackson," she breathed his name, turning her head towards him. "I...I want...I want more," she told him, her voice a quiet whisper.

His stomach clenched at her words. He leaned in to kiss her again, his hand cupping the side of her face. Jackson hissed when he felt April reach down between them, her small hand wrapping around his length. He groaned, pulling back from the kiss and resting his forehead against hers, his eyes closed as he relished in the feel of her hand around him.

April watched his face as she began to stroke him, her small hand slowly moving up and down his shaft. "Is this okay?" she whispered, unsure of herself.

Jackson found it almost impossible to form words. All of the blood in his body went straight to his groin and he knew it wouldn't take much for him to find his finish. He could feel himself throbbing in her hand and his jaw clenched as he reached out to stop her, wrapping his hand around hers.

"You don't like it?" she asked, her eyes wide. "I'm s-sorry...I've never done it before."

He gave her a reassuring smile and leaned over to kiss her. "I like it a lot," he assured her. "Can't you feel how much I like it?" He squeezed her hand, letting April feel how hard he was for her.

She blushed a brilliant shade of red, licking her lips and averting her gaze. "What's the problem then?" She was eager to make him feel good, to return the pleasure he'd given her. April wanted to make sure he was enjoying himself as much as she was.

He removed her hand from him, holding it between them. "Because," he murmured, his lips brushing against hers. "If you keep doing that then I wont last very long." His other hand went to the curve of her waist, his fingers tracing patterns into her skin. "And..." he continued, his voice barely even a whisper. "I want to be inside of you when I come."

All of the air went rushing straight out of her lungs. Her eyes widened and his words caused an instant rush of arousal to settle between her legs. Her eyes met his and her skin prickled at the look on his face, his green eyes had never looked so black. Her hands went to the back of his neck, her entire body all but throbbing with desire.

"Make love to me," she murmured, her voice a broken whisper.

He pulled her flush against him, his mouth hot over hers as he rolled her onto her back, his mouth claiming her own. Her body craved for him to touch her, to be inside of her. She wanted him more than she wanted air in her lungs, more than she wanted to pass her medical boards. She'd never thought it was possible to want somebody_ this_ much.

She whimpered when she felt him move away from her and her eyes flew open as he climbed off of the bed. Jackson didn't say anything as he went over to his suitcase. He grabbed his wallet and breathed a sigh of relief when he found the condom he kept in there for emergencies. April watched as he grabbed the small foil packet and tossed his wallet back into his suitcase. Her heart was racing and her entire body felt as though it was on fire. She bit down on her bottom lip as Jackson came back to the bed, crawling over her and planting a sweet kiss on her lips.

He settled over her, April's hands were on the back of his head, her legs cradling his hips. He kissed her deeply before ripping the packet open and reaching between them to roll the condom on. He lined himself up at her entrance, his erection prodding against her and making April shiver with both anticipation and nerves.

"This might hurt a little," he warned, holding himself up on his arms, his body hovering above hers.

She gulped and nodded, her eyes focused on his. "It's okay," she whispered, her fingers massaging the back of his head. "I'm ready."

Their gazes remained locked as he slowly began to fill her, causing April's body to stiffen. Her eyes widened and she hissed in pain as she felt herself stretching around him. It hurt. A lot. April's eyes began to water, her nails digging into the back of Jackson's neck.

"I'm sorry," he murmured, his mouth against her ear. He stilled inside of her, giving April a chance to try and adjust to him. He kissed her jaw, suppressing the urge to sink all of the way in. It took all of his effort not to move, his entire body throbbing to fill her completely. April felt so good around him, better than he'd ever imagined. She was just _so_ tight. His breath hitched when he felt her inner muscles involuntarily flutter around him, his jaw clenched and the need to move became almost excruciating.

"It's okay," she replied, trying her hardest to relax. She opened her eyes so she could look at him. "It's not so bad now," she said. "Just...go slow?"

He nodded, his mouth landing over hers as he slowly let his hips sink further down, pushing himself into her, pass her barrier. April clamped her eyes shut and held her breath. She grabbed his shoulders, using him for support while she did her best to hold completely still. The pain was sudden and sharp, causing her eyes to brim with tears.

"I'm sorry," he whispered. "I'm so, so sorry."

They were both silent for a moment. April let out the breath she'd been holding, feeling herself beginning to relax around him. Her grip on his shoulders loosened a fraction, the pain beginning to ease. Inhaling a shaky breath, April's head fell back against the pillows. "It's getting better," she murmured, her voice breathless. "It...it feels good."

He let out a breath, dipping his head to capture her lips. "You feel incredible," he told her. "_So _good." April watched him, watched the way his eyes fluttered closed, the way his face screwed up a little as he tried to hold himself back from moving.

She wrapped her arms around him, bringing her knees up a little higher. "It's okay," she assured him, giving him a smile. "You can move now."

He groaned, letting his body relax over her. He murmured her name, his forehead resting against hers as he slowly pulled himself almost all of the way out. He held still for a moment, his lips brushing against her throat, his breath hot against her skin. After a moment he began to move faster and the pleasure quickly started to override the pain and it didn't take her long to respond to his movements, her hips moving in time with his, urging him to keep going.

"Oh!" she gasped, feeling the coil return to the pit of her stomach, tightening with every thrust. She dug her nails into him, her eyes rolling backwards as she moaned beneath him. She closed her eyes, her teeth biting into her bottom lip.

"Don't close your eyes," he instructed, holding himself up on his elbows. He brushed a hand over the side of her face, his touch soft against her skin. "Look at me, April."

She sighed and forced her eyes open to meet his heated gaze. The look on his face made everything so much more intense, it was as though he was looking right through her, seeing into her. April's heart all but stopped, her breath stuck in her throat. No one had ever looked at her like that before and it seemed to change something inside of her, her chest tightening. She ran her hands up his back, enjoying the way his muscles tensed under her touch, a quiet growl rumbled from deep inside Jackson's chest.

His hands went to her waist and April couldn't help but gasp in surprise when he flipped them over so April was straddling him, her hands sitting on his chest. She looked down at him, surprised by their change of positions. Jackson's eyes never lefts hers as he ran his hands up her legs and over the curve of her waist, cupping her breasts in both his hands.

"So beautiful," he murmured, his voice miles away.

She threw her head back, enjoying the feel of his hands on her. She arched towards him, her hips beginning to move over his. The pressure in her stomach was getting tighter and she knew it wouldn't be much longer until she found her finish. Her hands moved over his chest as they both moved in sync with each other, his hips lifting up to meet hers.

And then his hand slipped between her legs and she shuddered as he pressed against her sensitive nerves. She bit her lip again, so hard she almost drew blood. A deep, guttural moan sounded from somewhere inside of her, a sound that would have been embarrassing under other circumstances.

"Let go," he told her, his eyes glued to her face. "Come for me, April."

His words were enough to send her over the edge. April's mouth fell open as she came hard around him, moaning out his name. She could see stars behind her eyes as she came crashing down, her body humming with sparks of pleasure. He followed only a second later, his hands clamping down on her hips as he found his release, shuddering beneath her.

April collapsed over him, completely spent. Her head fell to the crock of his neck as she tried to catch her breath.

His hands were on her back, rubbing soothing circles into her skin. She relaxed against him, her eyes closing as she listened to the sound of Jackson's heart beating beneath her, racing in time with her own.

"April?" he was the first to break the silence. "Are...was that okay?" he asked, breathless.

A lazy smile spread across her lips. She made no effort to move. April was comfortable, she felt safe and loved in his arms like this.

She wasn't ready to come back to reality just yet.

"It was amazing," she replied, her voice barely even a whisper. "Thank you, Jackson."

His grip around her tightened and she felt his lips brush against the top of her head. "That was really good." She could hear the smile in his voice.

It was good. It was better than good. It was everything April had ever dreamed her first time would be, and so much more. She smiled to herself, planting a kiss on Jackson's chest, right over his heart

They lay in silence for a moment before April finally rolled off of him. Jackson didn't say anything before getting out of bed and disappearing into the bathroom. April was so exhausted that she couldn't keep her eyes open, a silent yawn falling from her lips.

She was almost asleep when he came back, sliding into bed next to her. She felt the bed move as his arms went around her, pulling her tighter against him, her head resting against his chest.

That was the last thing she remembered before sleep took hold, pulling her into unconsciousness.

**Reviews are love!**


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